Absorbent article

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article having improved fitttability in a crotch area.SOLUTION: An absorbent article 1 has a longitudinal direction X corresponding to the front-back direction of a wearer and a lateral direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X, and includes a front pad 2 to be disposed on a ventral side of the wearer, and a rear pad 3 to be disposed on a dorsal side of the wearer, and is usable, with both pads 2 and 3 connected at a crotch area C of the wearer. The front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 include crotch parts M to be disposed on the crotch area. At least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 includes crotch laterally-stretchable parts 13 and 73 stretchable in the lateral direction Y, at least on lateral areas in end areas of the crotch part M side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known separate-type absorbent articles in which a front pad and a rear pad are separable and connectable. In particular, a separate-type absorbent article has been proposed in which the front pad and the rear pad are connected to each other in the crotch region of the wearer in order to facilitate replacement. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a diaper having front and back body sections joined together via a pair of left and right peelable joints to form a waist opening, front and back flap sections extending downward from the front and back body sections and overlapping their lower ends to form a pair of left and right leg openings, and joining means for joining the lower ends of both flap sections to each other in the crotch region. Patent Document 2 proposes a disposable diaper that can be separated and connected in the front and rear directions at the crotch portion. It is said that the disposable diaper described in this document can facilitate the changing work and reduce the frequency of changing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-000566 [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-013603 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The diapers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not provide a sufficient fit in the crotch region where the front pad and the rear pad overlap each other, particularly in the end regions on the widthwise side of the crotch region, and there is a risk that excrement will leak out, for example, from the connection between the front pad and the rear pad. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article which improves the fit in the crotch region where the front pad and the rear pad overlap each other, thereby preventing leakage of body waste. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention has a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-back direction of a wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, The present invention relates to an absorbent article which has a front pad to be placed on the wearer's stomach side and a rear pad to be placed on the wearer's back side, and which can be used with both pads connected in the crotch region of the wearer. In one embodiment, the front pad and the rear pad have a crotch portion disposed in the crotch region, At least one of the front pad and the rear pad preferably has a crotch lateral stretchable portion that stretches in the lateral direction at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch side. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided an absorbent article which improves the fit in the crotch region and suppresses leakage of body exudates from the crotch region. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable diaper which is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front pad shown in FIG. 1 when unfolded and in a maximum extended state, as viewed from the skin-facing surface side. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic cross-section along the horizontal and thickness directions at a specific position of the front pad shown in FIG. 2, where FIG. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view along line II in FIG. 2, FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view along line II-II in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3(c) is a cross-sectional view along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the front pad shown in FIG. 1 when unfolded and in a maximum extended state, as viewed from the non-skin facing surface side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the rear pad shown in FIG. 1 when unfolded and in a maximum stretched state, as viewed from the skin-facing surface side. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along the horizontal and thickness directions at a predetermined position of the rear pad shown in FIG. 5, where FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV in FIG. 5, FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view along line VV in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6(c) is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the rear pad shown in FIG. 1 when unfolded and in a maximum stretched state, as viewed from the non-skin facing surface side. [Figure 8] 8(a), (b) and (c) are perspective views showing how to wear the disposable diaper shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the front and rear pads shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the skin-facing side in their fully extended, unfolded state, with the crotch lateral stretchable portions of both pads overlapping. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the front and rear pads shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the skin-facing side in their fully extended, unfolded state, with the crotch lateral stretchable portions of the two pads connected so as not to overlap. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2, illustrating a preferred positional relationship between the vertically stretchable portions and the crotch-widthwise stretchable portions. [Figure 12] FIG. 12(a) is a perspective view showing a holder for a disposable diaper, which is another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, and FIG. 12(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the disposable diaper in a worn state. [Figure 13] FIG. 13(a) is a perspective view showing a holder for a disposable diaper, which is another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, and FIG. 13(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the disposable diaper in a worn state. [Figure 14]FIG. 14(a) is a perspective view showing a holder for a disposable diaper, which is another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, and FIG. 14(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the disposable diaper in a worn state. [Figure 15] FIG. 15(a) is a perspective view showing a holder for a disposable diaper, which is another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, and FIG. 15(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the disposable diaper in a worn state. [Figure 16] Figure 16(a) is a plan view showing a schematic representation of a front pad of a disposable diaper which is yet another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, Figure 16(b) is a plan view showing a schematic representation of a rear pad of the disposable diaper, and Figure 16(c) is a perspective view showing a schematic representation of a holder portion of the disposable diaper when worn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a disposable diaper (hereinafter simply referred to as "diaper") 1, which is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. Figs. 2 to 4 show a front pad 2 constituting the diaper 1. Figs. 5 to 7 show a rear pad 3 constituting the diaper 1. Fig. 8 shows an example of a method for wearing the diaper 1.

[0009] The diaper 1 shown in Fig. 1 has a front pad 2 arranged on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad 3 arranged on the wearer's rear side, and can be used with both pads 2, 3 connected in the crotch region of the wearer. The diaper 1 has a longitudinal direction X corresponding to the front-to-rear direction of the wearer and a transverse direction Y perpendicular thereto. In this specification, the term "wearer's crotch region" refers to two central regions when the region extending from the wearer's navel through the crotch region to the navel (the part on the back side that is located at a position corresponding to the navel on the abdominal side) is divided into four parts in the front-to-rear direction of the wearer. The term "front-to-rear direction of the wearer" refers to the direction extending from the wearer's abdominal side to the back side through the crotch region.

[0010] The diaper 1 can be worn by having the wearer first put on the rear pad 3, and then connecting the rear pad 3 and the front pad 2 around the wearer's waist and crotch area, as shown in Fig. 8. The method of wearing the diaper 1 will be described in detail later.

[0011] The diaper 1, which is a separate type absorbent article, has a front pad 2 and a rear pad 3 that can be freely connected and separated, and therefore has a reduced environmental impact compared to non-separate absorbent articles. That is, when a non-separate type absorbent article in which a portion corresponding to the wearer's abdomen (a portion corresponding to the front pad) and a portion corresponding to the wearer's back (a portion corresponding to the rear pad) are inseparably integrated is disposed of after use, even if the wearer has only urinated and the portion corresponding to the rear pad is not soiled, it must be disposed of together with the portion corresponding to the front pad that is soiled with urine. However, with the diaper 1, it is sufficient to replace only the front pad with a new one while leaving the rear pad as it is. That is, it is possible to replace only the pad soiled with excrement out of the front pad and the rear pad. Therefore, the diaper 1 of this embodiment reduces the amount of waste disposal and carbon dioxide emissions compared to non-separate absorbent articles, and can contribute to reducing the environmental impact. In addition, the task of replacing only the front pad with a new one is easy, and the burden of the replacement task is significantly reduced with the diaper 1. Furthermore, since the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 of the diaper 1 can be freely connected and separated, the front pad 2 can be structured specifically for absorbing urine, and the rear pad 3 can be structured specifically for absorbing feces. As a result, the diaper 1 can achieve the same absorption performance as a non-separate type diaper even though the area of ​​the absorbent body is small. In addition, since the diaper 1 has the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 each having a specialized function as described above, the minimum necessary amount of material is placed in the minimum necessary areas of each pad 2, 3. This allows the diaper 1 to be manufactured at a low cost. The front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 constituting the diaper 1 will now be described in detail.

[0012] 2 to 4 has a ventral portion F located on the ventral side of the wearer when the diaper 1 is worn, and a crotch portion M located in the crotch region. The crotch portion M is disposed opposite the wearer's excretory area for urine and the like when the diaper 1 is worn. The ventral portion F is a region located closer to the wearer's waist than the crotch portion M when the diaper 1 is worn. The front pad 2 has a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y corresponding to the diaper 1. That is, the longitudinal direction X of the front pad 2 coincides with the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1, and the lateral direction Y of the front pad 2 coincides with the lateral direction Y of the diaper 1. The front pad 2 extends in the longitudinal direction X from the abdominal portion F to the crotch portion M. The crotch portion M of the front pad 2 is typically one-third of the crotch area when the front pad 2 in an unfolded and maximally stretched state is divided into three equal parts in the longitudinal direction X, and the remainder is the ventral portion F of the front pad 2.

[0013] In this embodiment, the front pad 2 has a liquid-retentive absorbent body 21. The absorbent body 21 includes an absorbent core 24 mainly made of at least a water-absorbent material. As the water-absorbent material, for example, water-absorbent fibers, water-absorbent polymer particles, and mixtures thereof can be used. As the water-absorbent fibers, for example, natural fibers such as wood pulp, such as softwood pulp and hardwood pulp, and non-wood pulp, such as cotton pulp and hemp pulp; modified pulp, such as cationic pulp and mercerized pulp (all of these are cellulosic fibers); hydrophilic synthetic fibers, etc. can be used. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0014] In this embodiment, the absorbent body 21 includes an absorbent core 24 and a liquid-permeable core wrap sheet 25 that covers the surface of the absorbent core 24. In the absorbent body 21, the entire surface of the absorbent core 24, including the skin-facing surface and non-skin-facing surface, is covered with the core wrap sheet 25. Alternatively, only the skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 24 may be covered with the core wrap sheet 25. The outline (periphery) of the absorbent body 21 can be regarded as the same as the outline (periphery) of the absorbent core 24. Furthermore, the absorbent body 21 does not need to include the core wrap sheet 25. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent body 21 (absorbent core 24) has a rectangular shape in a plan view, extends in the vertical direction X, and is disposed in the center of the front pad 2 in the horizontal direction Y with its longitudinal direction coinciding with the vertical direction X of the diaper 1 in the unfolded and stretched state.

[0015] In this specification, the "skin-facing side" refers to the side of an absorbent article or its constituent members (e.g., absorbent core) that faces the wearer's skin when the absorbent article is worn, and the "non-skin-facing side" refers to the side that faces away from the wearer's skin when the absorbent article is worn.

[0016] In this embodiment, the front pad 2 has an absorbent main body 22 including an absorber 21. The absorbent main body 22 exerts the bodily fluid absorption function of the front pad 2 and is a main part of the front pad 2, and typically includes, in addition to the absorber 21, a skin-side sheet arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorber 21 and a non-skin-side sheet arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorber 21. Constituent members of the front pad 2, such as the leak-proof cuffs 31, the crotch sheet 11, and the first leak-proof sheet 41, which will be described later, are fixed to the absorbent main body 22.

[0017] 3(b), the absorbent body 22 of this embodiment includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 23 forming the skin-facing surface of the front pad 2, a back sheet 27 forming the non-skin-facing surface of the front pad 2, and a liquid-retentive absorbent body 21 and a sublayer sheet 26 arranged between the top sheet 23 and the back sheet 27, which are integrated together by known joining means such as adhesives, fusion (heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, etc.), etc. The top sheet 23 and sublayer sheet 26 are the "skin-side sheets" and the back sheet 27 is the "non-skin-side sheet".

[0018] As the constituent materials of the absorbent body 22, materials that are usually used in this type of absorbent article can be used without any particular limitation. As the top sheet 23 and the sublayer sheet 26 (the skin side sheet), various types of liquid permeable sheets can be used, for example, nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, and paper. The back sheet 27 (the non-skin side sheet) can be a leakproof sheet, specifically a sheet that is liquid-impermeable (i.e., does not allow liquid to pass through at all) or liquid-difficult to pass through (i.e., although not liquid-impermeable, it does not allow liquid to pass through easily). Examples of such a sheet include a moisture-permeable resin film, a laminate of such a resin film and nonwoven fabric, and a water-repellent treated nonwoven fabric.

[0019] The front pad 2 may include an exterior sheet (not shown) disposed on the non-skin facing surface side of the back sheet 27. The exterior sheet is preferably disposed continuously over the entire abdominal portion F and crotch portion M of the absorbent body 22. In this case, the exterior sheet forms the non-skin facing surface of the front pad 2. The exterior sheet may be, for example, a nonwoven fabric. The exterior sheet can be directly bonded to the surface of the backsheet 27 opposite to the surface facing the absorbent body 21 by a known bonding means such as an adhesive.

[0020] In this embodiment, the front pad 2 has leakage preventing cuffs 31, 31. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3(b), the leakage preventing cuffs 31 are arranged along both side portions of the absorbent body 22 in the longitudinal direction X on the skin-facing surface side of the front pad 2. The leak-preventing cuff 31 includes a rectangular leak-preventing cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​and a cuff elastic member 33 that is stretchable in the vertical direction X. The leak-preventing cuff 31 is formed by folding one leak-preventing cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​in half and joining the two opposing leak-preventing cuff-forming sheets 32 together. One or more cuff elastic members 33 are disposed between the two opposing leak-preventing cuff-forming sheets 32 so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X. In this specification, the phrase "the elastic member is arranged so as to be stretchable" means that the elastic member is fixed to another member in a stretched state, unless otherwise specified. The leakage preventing cuffs 31 have free ends at their inner ends in the lateral direction Y, and fixed ends at their outer ends in the lateral direction Y by adhesive or the like to the top sheet 23 and the back sheet 27. The free ends face inward in the lateral direction Y, which causes the leakage preventing cuffs 31 to have a tendency to collapse inward in the lateral direction Y. The portions of the leakage preventing cuff forming sheet 32 ​​located outward in the lateral direction Y from the absorbent body 21, including the fixed ends, form side frill sections SF, which will be described later, together with both sheets 23 and 27. The leakage preventing cuffs 31 stand up at least in the crotch area M as the cuff elastic members 33 arranged in a stretched state contract, preventing excreted fluids such as urine from flowing outward in the lateral direction Y. In order to clearly show that the leakage preventing cuffs 31 stand up when worn, the leakage preventing cuffs 31 are shown in an upright state in FIG. 3(b).

[0021] In this embodiment, the front pad 2 has a pair of side frills SF, SF. The side frills SF are portions made of sheet material extending outward in the lateral direction Y from both side edges along the longitudinal direction X of the absorbent body 21 and from imaginary extensions of the side edges, forming side regions (areas where the absorbent core 24 is not disposed) along the longitudinal direction X of the absorbent main body 22. The sheet material constituting the side frills SF extends from the abdominal portion F to the crotch portion M, and is joined to each other at the extending portions extending outward in the lateral direction Y from each of the side edges of the absorbent body 21 by a known joining means such as adhesive or fusion. In this embodiment, the sheet material constituting the side frills SF is the top sheet 23, the back sheet 27, and a leakproof cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​described later, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0022] In this embodiment, the front pad 2 has a vertically stretchable portion 36 that stretches in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 2S along the vertical direction X, as shown in Fig. 2. Here, "stretches in the vertical direction X" means that the vertically stretchable portion 36 has stretchability in the vertical direction X. Here, "stretches in the vertical direction X" includes both a form in which the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36 completely coincides with the vertical direction X, and a form in which the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36 does not completely coincide with the vertical direction X but substantially coincides with it. In the latter form, the angle between the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36 and the vertical direction X is preferably less than 45 degrees, more preferably 30 degrees or less, and even more preferably 15 degrees or less.

[0023] In the present invention, "side regions along the vertical direction of the front pad" refers to 1) in the case where the front pad does not have a leakproof cuff, the regions located on both sides of the central region when the absorbent body of the front pad in the unfolded and fully stretched state is divided horizontally into thirds, and 2) in the case where the front pad has a leakproof cuff (a member covering both sides along the vertical direction of the absorbent body), the region where the leakproof cuff is located in the front pad in the unfolded and fully stretched state (in other words, the region where the skin-facing surface of the absorbent body is covered by the leakproof cuff). The "longitudinal side regions of the rear pad" described below are similar to those of the front pad, and the above description of the "longitudinal side regions of the front pad" is also applicable as appropriate. In this embodiment, since the front pad 2 has the leakage preventing cuff 31, the side regions 2S of the front pad 2 are defined in accordance with 2) above.

[0024] In this specification, "elasticity" means a property of being stretchable in a given direction (the longitudinal direction X in the case of the longitudinal stretchable portion 36) and shrinking when the stretch is released. When a sheet has substantially no stretchability in a certain direction (is non-elastic), it means that the sheet hardly stretches even when a pulling force is applied to the sheet in the certain direction. For example, when a sample having a length of 15 cm and a width of 5 cm is pulled in the longitudinal direction by a tensile tester such as Tensilon, if the breaking elongation at the time when the sample breaks is 10% or less, the sample has substantially no stretchability in the longitudinal direction. The breaking elongation can be calculated by (the sample length at break - the original length of the sample) / (the original length of the sample) x 100. Since the longitudinal stretchable portion 36 has stretchability in the longitudinal direction X, when the sample is pulled in the longitudinal direction X by the tensile tester, the breaking elongation exceeds 10%.

[0025] The front pad 2 has the above-mentioned leak-proof cuffs 31 and leg cuffs 35 as the vertically stretchable portions 36 . The portions of the leakage preventing cuff 31 which essentially function as the longitudinally extensible portions 36 are the positions of the cuff elastic members 33 and their surroundings (typically, the region extending from the positions to within 5 mm in the lateral direction Y). 2 and 3(b), the leg cuffs 35 are arranged in each of a pair of side frill portions SF, SF and comprise one or more leg elastic members 34 extending in the longitudinal direction X. The leg elastic members 34 are fixed in a stretched state to the sheet members constituting the side frill portions SF (in the illustrated embodiment, the leakage-proof cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​and the back sheet 27).

[0026] Since the front pad 2 has vertically stretchable parts 36 in the side regions 2S, the length of the front pad 2 in the vertical direction X can be adjusted according to the wearer's body size, particularly the leg size, when worn, thereby improving the fit of the diaper 1. In particular, when the vertically stretchable parts 36 are the leakproof cuffs 31 and the leg cuffs 35 as in this embodiment, this effect can be further enhanced.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3(c), the crotch sheet 11 is disposed in the end region of the crotch part M side of the front pad 2, i.e., the longitudinal direction X end 2X1 of the crotch part M side of the front pad 2 and in the vicinity thereof. The crotch sheet 11 is fixed between the top sheet 23 and the back sheet 27 by adhesive or the like. That is, the crotch sheet 11 is disposed on the non-skin facing side of the top sheet 23 (skin side sheet) in the thickness direction of the front pad 2. The crotch sheet 11 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the lateral direction Y of the front pad 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the crotch sheet 11 has a two-layer structure in which one sheet is folded in half in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer end 11X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the crotch sheet 11 is located near the longitudinal end 2X1 in the crotch part M of the front pad 2 and is located inward of the longitudinal end 2X1 in the longitudinal direction X. In addition, as shown in Figs. 2, 3(c) and 4, the crotch sheet 11 extends outward from both side edges of the absorbent main body 22 along the longitudinal direction X.

[0028] The front pad 2 has a crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 stretchable in the lateral direction Y at least in the side region of the end region on the crotch M side. The above-mentioned “end region on the crotch part M side of the front pad 2” refers to the end 2X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the crotch part M side of the front pad 2 and its vicinity, more specifically, refers to a region extending inward in the longitudinal direction X from the end 2X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the crotch part M side of the front pad 2 when the front pad 2 is in an unfolded and maximally extended state, the region covering preferably 30%, more preferably 20%, of the entire length in the longitudinal direction X of the front pad 2. The "side regions in the end region on the crotch M side of the front pad 2" refers to both ends of the end region in the lateral direction Y and their vicinity, and more specifically refers to the regions located on both sides of a central region when the end region is divided into three equal parts in the lateral direction Y when the front pad 2 is in an unfolded and fully extended state. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the "side regions in the end region on the crotch M side of the front pad 2" overlap with the side region 2S of the front pad 2, but in an embodiment in which the total length of the end region itself in the lateral direction Y is longer than that shown in Fig. 2, the former is located outward in the lateral direction Y than the latter, and the both side regions do not overlap. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention. The above-mentioned "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" refers to the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 having stretchability in the lateral direction Y. The "stretchability" referred to here is as described above. In addition, "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" includes both a form in which the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 completely coincides with the lateral direction Y, and a form in which the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 does not completely coincide with the lateral direction Y but does substantially coincide with it. In the latter form, the angle between the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 and the lateral direction Y is preferably less than 45 degrees, more preferably 30 degrees or less, and even more preferably 15 degrees or less.

[0029] The crotch laterally stretchable section 13 according to the present invention is not particularly limited in its configuration, provided that it stretches in the lateral direction Y. For example, it may be configured as follows: 1) an elastic member fixed in a stretched state to a sheet member, or 2) it may be configured only as a sheet member having stretchability in the lateral direction. In the case of 1), the crotch laterally stretchable section 13 is typically an area consisting of the position of the elastic member and its surroundings, more specifically, an area up to 20 mm vertically from the position of the elastic member. When there are multiple elastic members arranged to be stretchable in the lateral direction in the end region on the crotch side of the front pad, the entire area consisting of the position of each of the multiple elastic members and their surroundings is the crotch laterally stretchable section according to the present invention. Furthermore, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 according to the present invention may be 3) a type that stands up against the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn, such as the leakproof cuffs 31 (three-dimensional type), or 4) a type that does not stand up against the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn (non-three-dimensional type), such as the leg cuffs 35. Non-three-dimensional type stretchable portions do not substantially have a function of blocking excretory liquid.

[0030] The above reference 4) "not standing up towards the wearer's body" includes a configuration in which the crotch horizontal stretchable parts do not stand up (protrude) at all towards the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn, and a configuration in which the crotch horizontal stretchable parts stand up (protrude) slightly towards the wearer's body when the absorbent article is in its natural state, but are not actually standing up (protruding). The state of the crotch lateral stretchable parts when the absorbent article is worn can be regarded as the same as that of the absorbent article in its natural state. In this specification, the "natural state of the absorbent article" refers to a state in which no external force is acting on any of the elastically stretchable members of the absorbent article. In the latter embodiment, the standing height of the crotch laterally stretchable portion in the natural state of the absorbent article is preferably 20 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less. The "standing height" refers to the distance in the thickness direction between the top of the crotch laterally stretchable portion and the surface of the peripheral portion of the crotch laterally stretchable portion in the natural state of the absorbent article.

[0031] 2 and 3(c), the crotch horizontal stretchable section 13 of this embodiment includes a crotch sheet 11 and a crotch horizontal elastic member 12 fixed to the crotch sheet 11 in a stretched state in the horizontal direction Y, and is provided with the above 1) and 4). More specifically, the crotch horizontal stretchable section 13 of this embodiment is a non-three-dimensional type, with multiple crotch horizontal elastic members 12 intermittently arranged in the vertical direction X between two crotch sheets 11 that are folded in half and facing each other.

[0032] The crotch lateral elastic portion according to the present invention is as described above and is not limited to the form shown in the drawings. For example, the crotch lateral elastic member 12 may be disposed between the leakage-preventive cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​and the back sheet 27 so as to be in contact with both sheets 32, 27, or may be disposed on the skin-facing surface of the top sheet 23 and / or the leakage-preventive cuff-forming sheet 32.

[0033] A crotch sheet 11 is arranged in the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2, and it is preferable that the crotch sheet 11 has a pair of extension portions 14, 14 extending outward from both side edges along the vertical direction X of the absorbent body 22 in the end region on the crotch portion M side of the front pad 2.

[0034] In this embodiment, as described above, the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 includes the crotch sheet 11, and the crotch sheet 11 has a pair of extensions 14, 14. With this, in a state in which the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 overlaps with the rear pad 3 and the diaper 1 is worn, the pair of extensions 14, 14 can be grasped with the fingers and pulled outward in the lateral direction Y to adjust the position and contraction state of the crotch laterally elastic member 12 constituting the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13, thereby improving the adhesion between the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 in the crotch region and effectively preventing leakage of the wearer's excrement. The extensions 14 of the crotch sheet 11 need not necessarily have stretchability as long as they are configured so as to be easily gripped by fingers when adjusting the position of the crotch transverse elastic member 12. In other words, the crotch transverse elastic member 12 may or may not extend to the pair of extensions 14, 14 in the lateral direction Y. In order to make it easier to recognize the positions of the pair of extensions 14, 14 when connecting the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3, it is preferable that the color of the pair of extensions 14, 14 is different from the color of their surroundings.

[0035] 2 and 3(a), in this embodiment, a first leakproof sheet 41 is disposed in an end region opposite to the crotch portion M of the front pad 2, i.e., at and near the longitudinal end 2X2 of the abdominal portion F of the front pad 2. The first leakproof sheet 41 forms a part of the skin-facing surface of the front pad 2. The first leakproof sheet 41 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the lateral direction Y of the front pad 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the first leakproof sheet 41 has a two-layer structure in which a single sheet is folded in half in the longitudinal direction X. 2, an outer end 41X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the first leakproof sheet 41 is located near an end 2X2 in the longitudinal direction X on the ventral portion F of the front pad 2 and is located inward of the end 2X2 in the longitudinal direction X. In addition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the first leakproof sheet 41 extends outward in both directions in the lateral direction Y from the backsheet 27. The first leak-proof sheet 41 is fixed to the skin-facing surfaces of the topsheet 23 and the leak-proof cuff-forming sheet 32 ​​by adhesive or the like.

[0036] The front pad 2 preferably has a non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 44 stretchable in the lateral direction Y at least in a side region of an end region on the opposite side to the crotch portion M in the longitudinal direction X. The above-mentioned "end region on the opposite side to the crotch portion M in the longitudinal direction X" refers to the longitudinal direction X end 2X2 on the abdominal side F side of the front pad 2 and its vicinity, more specifically, refers to a region extending from the longitudinal direction X end of the front pad 2 inward in the longitudinal direction X, preferably covering 40%, more preferably 35%, of the total length of the front pad 2 in the longitudinal direction X, when the front pad 2 is in the unfolded and maximally stretched state. The "side regions in the end region opposite the crotch M side of the front pad 2" refers to both ends in the lateral direction Y of the end region and their vicinity, and more specifically refers to the regions located on both sides of a central region when the end region is divided into three equal parts in the lateral direction Y when the front pad 2 is in an unfolded and fully extended state. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the "side regions in the end region opposite the crotch M side of the front pad 2" overlap with the side region 2S of the front pad 2, but in an embodiment in which the total length of the end region itself in the lateral direction Y is longer than that shown in Fig. 2, the former is located outward in the lateral direction Y than the latter, and the both side regions do not overlap. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention. The above-mentioned "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" refers to the non-crotch lateral stretchable portion 44 having stretchability in the lateral direction Y. The "stretchability" referred to here is as described above, and the explanation for the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 is applied appropriately.

[0037] There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 44 according to the present invention, and it may be the same as the configuration of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 described above, for example. 2 and 3(a), the non-crotch lateral stretchable portion 44 of this embodiment includes a first leakproof sheet 41 and a non-crotch lateral elastic member 43 fixed to the first leakproof sheet 41 in a stretched state in the lateral direction Y, and is equipped with the above 1) and 3). In detail, the first leakproof sheet 41 of this embodiment is configured by two first leakproof sheets 41 folded in half and facing each other, and a plurality of non-crotch lateral elastic members 43 are intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction X between them. The non-crotch lateral elastic members 43 are composed of intermittent elastic members 43a mainly arranged in the side regions of the end region opposite the crotch part M in the longitudinal direction X of the front pad 2, and continuous elastic members 43b continuously arranged from one side region of the end region on the abdominal part F side of the front pad 2 through the central region to the other side region. The first leak-proof sheet 41 stands up when worn because the continuous elastic member 43b is disposed in the end region on the abdominal part F side of the front pad 2. In other words, the non-crotch laterally stretchable parts 44 are of a three-dimensional type. In addition, the above-mentioned phrase "mainly arranged in the side region of the end region opposite the crotch part M in the longitudinal direction X of the front pad 2" means that 80% or more of the total length of the elastic member in the lateral direction Y is arranged in the side region of the end region on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3.

[0038] Next, the rear pad 3 will be described. 5 to 7, the rear pad 3 has a rear portion R located on the back side of the wearer when the diaper 1 is worn, and a crotch portion M located in the crotch region. The crotch portion M is disposed opposite the wearer's excretory area for urine and the like when the diaper 1 is worn. The rear portion R is located closer to the wearer's waist than the crotch portion M when the diaper 1 is worn. The rear pad 3 has a longitudinal direction X and a lateral direction Y corresponding to the diaper 1. That is, the longitudinal direction X of the rear pad 3 coincides with the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1, and the lateral direction Y of the rear pad 3 coincides with the lateral direction Y of the diaper 1. The rear pad 3 extends in the longitudinal direction X from the back portion R to the crotch portion M. The crotch portion M of the rear pad 3 is typically one-third of the crotch side area when the rear pad 3 in an unfolded and maximally stretched state is divided into three equal parts in the longitudinal direction X, and the remainder is the dorsal portion R of the rear pad 3.

[0039] In this embodiment, the rear pad 3 has a liquid-retentive absorbent body 51. The absorbent body 51 includes an absorbent core 54. The absorbent core 54 may be, for example, a stack or sheet containing absorbent fibers but not containing absorbent polymer. The absorbent core 54 may also be a stack containing absorbent fibers or particles of absorbent polymer. The absorbent core 54 may also be a sheet material in which particles of absorbent polymer are held between two sheets containing absorbent fibers. The above-mentioned "no water-absorbent polymer" includes 1) a form in which the absorbent core does not contain any water-absorbent polymer, and 2) a form in which the absorbent core contains a very small amount of water-absorbent polymer. The above-mentioned 2) occurs, for example, when the absorbent core contains a water-absorbent polymer against the will of the absorbent core manufacturer, specifically, for example, when polymer microparticles derived from the water-absorbent polymer are inevitably mixed into the absorbent core. The "very small amount" in the above 2) specifically means that the content of the water-absorbent polymer in the absorbent core is 10% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the absorbent core. The "stack" typically refers to a product manufactured through a process of stacking absorbent core forming materials in a dry state, such as a product manufactured using a stacking device conventionally used for manufacturing this type of absorbent core. The "sheet" typically refers to a product manufactured through a process of stacking absorbent core forming materials in a planar form using an air flow, such as a product manufactured by an airlaid method. The absorbent fibers may be made of the same material as the absorbent fibers in the absorbent core 24 of the front pad described above. One type of absorbent fiber may be used alone or two or more types may be mixed together to make the absorbent core 54. The absorbent fibers in the absorbent core 24 and the absorbent core 54 may be of the same type or different types.

[0040] In this embodiment, the absorbent body 51 includes an absorbent core 54 and a liquid-permeable core wrap sheet 55 that covers the surface of the absorbent core 54. In the absorbent body 51, the entire surface of the absorbent core 54, including the skin-facing surface and non-skin-facing surface, is covered with the core wrap sheet 55. Alternatively, only the skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 54 may be covered with the core wrap sheet 55. The outline (periphery) of the absorbent body 51 can be regarded as the same as the outline (periphery) of the absorbent core 54. Furthermore, the absorbent body 51 does not need to include the core wrap sheet 55. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the absorbent body 51 (absorbent core 54) has a rectangular shape in a plan view, extends in the vertical direction X, and is disposed in the center of the rear pad 3 in the horizontal direction Y with its longitudinal direction coinciding with the vertical direction X of the diaper 1 in the unfolded and stretched state.

[0041] In this embodiment, the rear pad 3 has an absorbent main body 52 including an absorber 51. The absorbent main body 52 exerts the bodily fluid absorption function of the rear pad 3 and is a part constituting the main body of the rear pad 3, and typically includes, in addition to the absorber 51, a skin-side sheet arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorber 51 and a non-skin-side sheet arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorber 51. Constituent members of the rear pad 3, such as a leakage preventing cuff 61, a second leakage preventing sheet 71, a third leakage preventing sheet 81, and holder-forming members 101 and 102, which will be described later, are fixed to the absorbent main body 52.

[0042] 6(b), the absorbent body 52 of this embodiment includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 53 forming the skin-facing surface of the rear pad 3, a back sheet 57 forming the non-skin-facing surface of the rear pad 3, and a liquid-retentive absorbent body 51 arranged between the top sheet 53 and the back sheet 57, which are integrated together by a known joining means such as adhesive, fusion, etc. The top sheet 53 is the "skin-side sheet" and the back sheet 57 is the "non-skin-side sheet".

[0043] As the constituent members of the absorbent main body 52 of the rear pad 3, for example, those exemplified as the constituent members of the absorbent main body 22 of the front pad 2 can be used. As the constituent material of the top sheet 53 of the rear pad 3, for example, those exemplified as the constituent materials of the top sheet 23 of the front pad 2 can be used. As the constituent material of the back sheet 57 of the rear pad 3, for example, those exemplified as the constituent materials of the back sheet 27 of the front pad 2 can be used.

[0044] In this embodiment, the rear pad 3 has leakage preventing cuffs 61, 61. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(b), the leakage preventing cuffs 61 are arranged along both side portions of the absorbent main body 52 in the longitudinal direction X on the skin-facing surface side of the rear pad 3. The leakproof cuff 61 includes a rectangular leakproof cuff-forming sheet 62 and a cuff elastic member 63 that is stretchable in the vertical direction X. The leakproof cuff 61 is formed by folding one leakproof cuff-forming sheet 62 in half and joining the two opposing leakproof cuff-forming sheets 62 together. One or more cuff elastic members 63 are disposed between the two opposing leakproof cuff-forming sheets 62 so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X. The leakage preventing cuffs 61 have free ends and fixed ends fixed to the top sheet 53 and the back sheet 57 with adhesive or the like. The free ends face outward in the lateral direction Y, which causes the leakage preventing cuffs 61 to have a tendency to collapse outward in the lateral direction Y. The portions of the leakage preventing cuff-forming sheet 62 located outward in the lateral direction Y from the absorbent body 51, including the fixed ends, together with both sheets 53, 57, form side frill sections SF, which will be described later. The leakage preventing cuffs 61 stand up at least in the crotch area M as the cuff elastic members 63 arranged in a stretched state contract, preventing excretory fluid such as stool from flowing outward in the lateral direction Y. Note that in order to clearly show that the leakage preventing cuffs 61 stand up when worn, the leakage preventing cuffs 61 are shown in an upright state in FIG. 6(b).

[0045] In this embodiment, the rear pad 3 has a pair of side frills SF, SF. The side frills SF are portions made of sheet material extending outward in the horizontal direction Y from both side edges along the vertical direction X of the absorbent body 51 and from imaginary extensions of the side edges, and form side regions (areas where the absorbent core 54 is not disposed) along the vertical direction X of the absorbent main body 52. ​​The sheet material constituting the side frills SF extends from the back side portion R to the crotch portion M, and is joined to each other at the extending portions extending outward in the horizontal direction Y from each of the side edges of the absorbent body 51 by a known joining means such as adhesive or fusion. In this embodiment, the sheet materials constituting the side frills SF are the top sheet 53, the back sheet 57, and a leakproof cuff-forming sheet 62 described later, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0046] In this embodiment, the rear pad 3 has a vertically stretchable portion 66 that stretches in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 3S along the vertical direction X. The meaning of "stretchable in the vertical direction X" here is as described above, and the explanation of the vertically stretchable portion 36 of the front pad 2 is applied as appropriate. Also, as described above, the explanation of "side regions along the vertical direction of the front pad" is applied as appropriate to the side regions 3S of the rear pad.

[0047] The rear pad 3 has the above-mentioned leak-proof cuffs 61 and leg cuffs 65 as the vertically stretchable portions 66 . The portion of the leakage preventing cuff 61 which actually functions as the longitudinally extensible portion 66 is the position of the cuff elastic member 63 and its surroundings (typically, a region extending 10 mm from the position in the lateral direction Y). 5 and 6(b), the leg cuffs 65 are arranged on each of a pair of side frill portions SF, SF and comprise one or more leg elastic members 64 extending in the longitudinal direction X. The leg elastic members 64 are fixed in a stretched state to the sheet members constituting the side frill portions SF (the leakage-proof cuff-forming sheet 62 and the back sheet 57 in the illustrated embodiment).

[0048] Since the rear pad 3 has vertically stretchable parts 66 in the side regions 3S, the length of the rear pad 3 in the vertical direction X can be adjusted to fit the wearer's body, particularly the leg size, when worn, thereby improving the fit of the diaper 1. In particular, when the vertically stretchable parts 66 are the leakproof cuffs 61 and the leg cuffs 65 as in this embodiment, this effect can be further enhanced.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(c), the second leakproof sheet 71 is disposed in an end region on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3, i.e., in and near the longitudinal X end 3X1 on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3. The second leakproof sheet 71 is fixed to the leakproof cuffs 61 and the leg cuffs 65 on the skin-facing surface of the absorbent body 52, and forms part of the skin-facing surface of the rear pad 3. That is, the second leakproof sheet 71 is disposed closer to the skin-facing surface side than the top sheet 53 (skin-side sheet) in the thickness direction of the rear pad 3. The second leakproof sheet 71 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the lateral direction Y of the rear pad 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the second leakproof sheet 71 has a two-layer structure in which one sheet is folded in half in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in Fig. 5, the outer end 71X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the second leakproof sheet 71 on the crotch part M side is near the longitudinal direction X end 3X1 of the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3 and is located inward in the longitudinal direction X from the longitudinal direction X end 3X1. Also, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6(c), both ends in the lateral direction Y of the second leakproof sheet 71 are near both ends in the lateral direction Y (both side edges along the longitudinal direction X) of the backsheet 57 and the leakproof cuff-forming sheet 62 and are located inward in the lateral direction Y from said both ends. The position of the second leak-proof sheet 71 on the rear pad 3 is not limited to this. For example, the outer end 71X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the second leak-proof sheet 71 may coincide with the end 3X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the crotch portion M side of the rear pad 3. In addition, both ends in the lateral direction Y of the second leak-proof sheet 71 may coincide with both ends in the lateral direction Y of the back sheet 57 and the leak-proof cuff-forming sheet 62, or may be located outward in the lateral direction Y of both ends in the lateral direction Y of the back sheet 57 and the leak-proof cuff-forming sheet 62. The second leak-proof sheet 71 is fixed to the skin-facing surface of the leak-proof cuff-forming sheet 62 in the side regions S by an adhesive or the like.

[0050] The rear pad 3 has a crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 stretchable in the lateral direction Y at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch portion M side. The above-mentioned “end region on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3” refers to the end 3X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3 and its vicinity, more specifically, refers to a region extending from the end in the longitudinal direction X of the rear pad 3 inward in the longitudinal direction X, preferably covering 30%, more preferably 20%, of the entire length of the rear pad 3 in the longitudinal direction X, when the rear pad 3 is in an unfolded and maximally stretched state. The "side regions in the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3" refers to both ends in the lateral direction Y of the end region and their vicinity, and more specifically refers to the regions located on both sides of a central region when the end region is divided into three equal parts in the lateral direction Y when the rear pad 3 is in an unfolded and fully extended state. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the "side regions in the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3" overlap with the side regions 3S of the rear pad 3, but in an embodiment in which the total length of the end region itself in the lateral direction Y is longer than that shown in Fig. 5, the former is located outward in the lateral direction Y than the latter, and the both side regions do not overlap. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention. The above-mentioned "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" means that the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 has stretchability in the lateral direction Y. The "stretchability" referred to here is as described above. In addition, "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" includes both a form in which the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 completely coincides with the lateral direction Y, and a form in which the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 does not completely coincide with the lateral direction Y but does substantially coincide with it. In the latter form, the angle between the stretch direction of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 and the lateral direction Y is preferably less than 45 degrees, more preferably 30 degrees or less, and even more preferably 15 degrees or less.

[0051] There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 according to the present invention, and it may be the same as the configuration of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 described above, for example. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(c), the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 of this embodiment includes a second leakproof sheet 71 and a crotch lateral elastic member 72 fixed to the second leakproof sheet 71 in a stretched state in the lateral direction Y, and includes the above 1) and 3). In detail, the second leakproof sheet 71 of this embodiment is configured by two second leakproof sheets 71 folded in half and facing each other, and a plurality of crotch lateral elastic members 72 are intermittently arranged in the vertical direction X between them. The crotch lateral elastic members 72 are mainly composed of intermittent elastic members 72a arranged in the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3, and continuous elastic members 72b arranged continuously from one side region, through the central region, to the other side region of the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3. The continuous elastic members 72b arranged in the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3 allows the second leakproof sheet 71 to stand up when worn. That is, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 is of a three-dimensional type. In addition, the above-mentioned phrase "mainly located in the side region of the end region on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3" means that 80% or more of the total length of the elastic member in the lateral direction Y is located in the side region of the end region on the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3.

[0052] 5 and 6(a), in this embodiment, a third leakproof sheet 81 is disposed in an end region on the opposite side to the crotch portion M of the rear pad 3, i.e., at and near the longitudinal X end 3X2 on the dorsal portion R side of the rear pad 3. The third leakproof sheet 81 forms a part of the skin-facing surface of the rear pad 3. The third leakproof sheet 81 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the lateral direction Y of the rear pad 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the third leakproof sheet 81 has a two-layer structure in which a single sheet is folded in half in the longitudinal direction X.

[0053] 5, 6(a) and 7, the rear pad 3 has a left holder-forming member 101 extending outward to the left side in the lateral direction Y from the top sheet 53 and the back sheet 57 and a right holder-forming member 102 extending outward to the right side in the lateral direction Y at and near the end region opposite the crotch portion M, i.e., the longitudinal direction X end 3X2 on the back portion R side of the rear pad 3. The holder-forming members 101, 102 form part of the skin-facing surface of the rear pad 3 except for the portion overlapping with the third leakproof sheet 81. The left holder forming member 101 and the right holder forming member 102 each include a single folded side extending sheet 103, 103. The side extending sheet 103 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the lateral direction Y of the rear pad 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the side extending sheet 103 has a two-layer structure in which a single sheet is folded in half in the vertical direction X. The inner edge of the side extending sheet 103 in the lateral direction Y is fixed to the back sheet 57 with an adhesive or the like, and the other part extends outward in the lateral direction Y beyond the back sheet 57. In addition, the outer end 103X1 in the vertical direction X of the side extending sheet 103 and its imaginary extension line are located inside the vertical direction X of the vertical direction X end 3X2 and its imaginary extension line at the back side portion R of the rear pad 3. In addition, the positional relationship between the outer end 103X1 in the longitudinal direction X of the laterally extending sheet 103 and its imaginary extension line and the end 3X2 in the longitudinal direction X of the back portion R of the rear pad 3 and its imaginary extension line is not limited to this, and for example, the two may be coincident with each other.

[0054] 6(a), color sheets 106, 106 having a different color from other surrounding sheets are arranged on the non-skin facing sides of the left and right side extending sheets 103 for the purpose of making it easier for the user to grasp the positions of the holder forming members 101, 102. Typically, the components of the diaper 1 are white, and the color sheets 42 are a color other than white, such as blue or red.

[0055] The right holder forming member 102 includes, in addition to the side extending sheet 103 and the color sheet 106, an auxiliary sheet 105 and a holder fastening part 107 fixed to the skin-facing surface of the auxiliary sheet 105. A mechanical hook-and-loop fastener or an adhesive can be used as the holder fastening part 107. A specific example of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener is Magic Tape (registered trademark). The left and right holder forming members 101, 102 are connected via the holder fastening part 107 arranged on the right holder forming member 102 to form a ring-shaped holder 110 (see FIG. 8) to be placed around the waist of the wearer. The auxiliary sheet 105 is disposed on the skin-facing surface side of the side extending sheet 103 and extends outward in the lateral direction Y from the side extending sheet 103 .

[0056] The left holder forming member 101 includes a fastening sheet 104 and an auxiliary sheet 105 in addition to a side extending sheet 103 and a color sheet 106. The fastening sheet 104 is a sheet having a fastening region (not shown) on its non-skin facing surface for fastening the holder fastening portion 107 of the right holder forming member 102, and by using a nonwoven fabric as a material, for example, the entire non-skin facing surface of the fastening sheet 104 can be made into a fastening region. The fastening sheet 104 is disposed on the non-skin facing surface of the side extending sheet 103, and extends outward in the lateral direction Y from the side extending sheet 103. The auxiliary sheet 105 is a sheet for increasing the strength of the attachment sheet 104 and preventing it from folding in the middle. The auxiliary sheet 105 is disposed on the skin-facing surface of the side extension sheet 103, and extends outward from the side extension sheet 103 in the lateral direction Y. The skin-facing surface of the attachment sheet 104 and the non-skin-facing surface of the auxiliary sheet 105 are fixed with an adhesive or the like.

[0057] The rear pad 3 preferably has a non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 91 stretchable in the lateral direction Y at least in a side region of an end region on the opposite side to the crotch portion M in the longitudinal direction X. The above-mentioned “end region on the opposite side to the crotch portion M in the longitudinal direction X” refers to the longitudinal direction X end 3X2 on the dorsal portion R side of the rear pad 3 and its vicinity, more specifically, refers to a region extending from the longitudinal direction X end of the rear pad 3 inward in the longitudinal direction X, preferably covering 30%, more preferably 25%, of the total length of the rear pad 3 in the longitudinal direction X, when the rear pad 3 is in the unfolded and maximally stretched state. The "side regions in the end region opposite the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3" refers to both ends in the lateral direction Y of the end region and their vicinity, and more specifically refers to the regions located on both sides of a central region when the end region is divided into three equal parts in the lateral direction Y when the rear pad 3 is in an unfolded and fully extended state. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the "side regions in the end region opposite the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3" overlaps with the side region 3S of the rear pad 3, but in an embodiment in which the total length of the end region itself in the lateral direction Y is longer than that shown in Fig. 5, the former is located outward in the lateral direction Y than the latter, and the both side regions do not overlap. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention. The above-mentioned phrase "stretchable in the lateral direction Y" refers to having stretchability in the lateral direction Y. The "stretchability" referred to here is as described above, and the explanation of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 is applied as appropriate.

[0058] There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 91 according to the present invention, and it may be the same as the configuration of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 described above, for example. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(a), the non-crotch lateral stretchable portion 91 of this embodiment includes a third leakproof sheet 81 and a non-crotch lateral elastic member 92, and is provided with the above 1) and 3). In detail, the non-crotch lateral elastic member 92 of this embodiment includes a holder elastic member 92a fixed to the side extending sheet 103 in a stretched state in the lateral direction Y, and a third leakproof sheet elastic member 92b fixed to the third leakproof sheet 81 in a stretched state in the lateral direction Y. The side extending sheet 103 is configured by arranging a plurality of holder elastic members 92a at intervals in the vertical direction X between two side extending sheets 103 that are folded in half and opposed to each other. The third leakproof sheet 81 is configured by arranging a plurality of third leakproof sheet elastic members 92b at intervals in the vertical direction X between two third leakproof sheets 81 that are folded in half and opposed to each other. The third leakproof sheet 81 stands up when worn because the third leakproof sheet elastic member 92b is disposed in the end region on the back side R side of the rear pad 3. In other words, the non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 91 is of a three-dimensional type.

[0059] The crotch fastening part 74 is preferably provided at the crotch part M of the rear pad 3 so as to be fastened to a fastening region provided at the crotch part M of the front pad 2. When the crotch fastening part 74 is provided, it is preferable that the crotch fastening part 74 extends in the lateral direction Y. The crotch fastening part 74 preferably has a male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener on its skin-facing surface. In addition, a pair of crotch lateral stretchable parts 73, 73 are preferably formed at positions outside both side edges of the crotch fastening part 74 in the lateral direction Y.

[0060] 5 and 6(c), in the diaper 1 of this embodiment, a crotch fastening part 74 is provided on the skin-facing side of the second leakproof sheet 71 of the rear pad 3, which can be fastened to a fastening area (not shown) provided on the non-skin-facing side of the front pad 2. By means of the crotch fastening part 74, the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected in the crotch region of the wearer. The crotch fastening part 74 may be the same as the holder fastening part 107. In this embodiment, the back sheet 27 is made of nonwoven fabric, so that the entire area of ​​the non-skin facing surface of the back sheet 27 is the fastening area.

[0061] It is preferable that a pair of crotch lateral stretchable portions 73, 73 are formed at positions outward from both side edges in the lateral direction Y of the crotch fastening portion 74. In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the intermittent elastic members 72a, 72a are disposed at positions outboard of both side edges of the crotch fastening portion 74 in the lateral direction Y, and as a result, a pair of crotch lateral stretchable portions 73, 73 are formed at the same positions. Therefore, when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are worn in a state where they are connected in the crotch region of the wearer, the pair of crotch lateral stretchable portions 73, 73 contract to provide a better fit to the crotch region of the wearer.

[0062] In order to sufficiently increase the connection strength between the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 via the crotch fastening portion 74, the crotch fastening portion 74 is preferably spaced apart from the longitudinal X end 3X1 of the crotch portion M side of the rear pad 3 by 10 mm or less, more preferably 6 mm or less, and even more preferably 5 mm or less. In order to prevent the surface sheet 53 of the rear pad 3 from being covered by the front pad 2 and blocking the effective absorption surface of the rear pad 3, it is preferable that the crotch fastening portion 74 is spaced 200 mm or more from the longitudinal X-end 3X2 on the dorsal part R side of the rear pad 3.

[0063] The diaper 1 of this embodiment has, in addition to the crotch fastening part 74, another fastening part for connecting the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 around the waist of the wearer. In detail, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3(a), side fastening parts 45, 45 are arranged on both side regions in the lateral direction Y on the skin-facing surface side of the first leakproof sheet 41 of the front pad 2, and a central fastening part 46 is arranged in the central region in the lateral direction Y. The front pad 2 is fastened to fastening regions (not shown) provided on the non-skin-facing surfaces of the left holder-forming member 101 and the right holder-forming member 102 of the rear pad 3 via these fastening parts 45, 45, 46. The fastening parts 45, 46 may be the same as the holder fastening part 107. In addition, in this embodiment, the lateral extension sheet 103, the attachment sheet 104, the auxiliary sheet 105 and the color sheet 106 which form the non-skin facing surfaces of the left holder forming member 101 and the right holder forming member 102 are made of nonwoven fabric, so that the entire area of ​​the non-skin facing surfaces of the left holder forming member 101 and the right holder forming member 102 is the attachment area. 3(a), in a portion of the first leak-proof sheet 41 where the side fastening parts 45,45 are arranged on the skin-facing side, colored sheets 42,42 of a different color from the other surrounding sheets are arranged on the non-skin-facing side. Typically, the components of the diaper 1 are white, and the colored sheets 42 are a color other than white, such as blue or red. This makes it easier for the user of the diaper 1 to identify the positions of the side fastening parts 45,45.

[0064] The diaper 1 can be worn, for example, in the procedure shown in Fig. 8. First, the left holder-forming member 101 and the right holder-forming member 102 of the rear pad 3 are wrapped around the waist of the wearer, and both ends of the holder-forming members 101, 102 are joined via the holder fastening parts 107 on the wearer's abdominal side to form a ring-shaped holder 110 (Fig. 8(a)). Next, the holder 110 of the rear pad 3 and the front pad 2 are connected via the side fastening parts 45, 45 and the central fastening part 46 arranged on the first leak-proof sheet 41 of the front pad 2 so that the skin-facing surface of the front pad 2 faces the skin-non-facing surface of the rear pad 3 (Fig. 8(b)). Finally, the end region of the front pad 2 on the crotch part M side and the end region of the rear pad 3 on the crotch part M side are connected in the crotch part of the wearer via the crotch fastening part 74 of the rear pad 3, so that the diaper 1 can be worn (Fig. 8(c)). Figures 9 and 10 show a state in which only the connection between the holder 110 of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 has been released from the state shown in Figure 8(c), i.e., a state in which the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected at their end regions on the crotch M side. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the front pad 2 is positioned closer to the wearer's skin than the rear pad 3 in the crotch region of the wearer, but alternatively, the rear pad 3 may be positioned closer to the wearer's skin than the front pad 2.

[0065] The diaper 1 has an excellent fit in the crotch region because of the above-mentioned configuration. Specifically, the front pad 2 has the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 at least in the side region of the end region on the crotch M side, and the rear pad 3 has the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 at least in the side region of the end region on the crotch M side. Therefore, when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected in the crotch region of the wearer, the end region in the lateral direction Y of the crotch region can be prevented from turning up, and the fit of the diaper 1 in the crotch region of the wearer can be improved. Therefore, the diaper 1 has an excellent fit in the crotch region. In addition, even if excretion occurs, the excretion can be doubly blocked by the end region in the lateral direction Y of the crotch region, so that leakage of the excretion in the crotch region of the wearer can be prevented. The effect of such crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 is achieved by at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 having the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 in at least the side regions of the end regions on the crotch M side, but it is more preferable that, as in this embodiment, both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 in at least the side regions of the end regions on the crotch M side.

[0066] In particular, in this embodiment, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 is a non-three-dimensional type stretchable portion that does not stand up toward the wearer's body when the diaper 1 is worn, so that there is less discomfort when worn and the fit in the crotch area is particularly excellent.

[0067] In this embodiment, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 is a three-dimensional stretchable portion that stands up toward the wearer's body when the diaper 1 is worn, and when the diaper 1 is worn, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 is disposed on the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 or its adjacent non-skin-facing side (see Figs. 9 and 10). Therefore, while the diaper 1 is worn, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 is pressed against the wearer's skin by the standing crotch lateral stretchable portion 73, and the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 can be in good contact with the wearer's skin. Furthermore, when the diaper 1 is worn, excrement excreted in the crotch portion M of the rear pad 3 can be contained in the space between the second leakproof sheet 71 and the top sheet 53, which is created by the standing crotch lateral stretchable portion 73. This makes it possible to prevent excrement from leaking out of the diaper 1 more effectively than ever before.

[0068] In order to more reliably obtain the above-mentioned effects provided by the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3, the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 each independently have an elongation rate in the lateral direction Y of preferably 110% or more, more preferably 120% or more, even more preferably 125% or more, and preferably 160% or less, more preferably 150% or less, even more preferably 145% or less. The extensibility in the lateral direction Y of the crotch lateral stretchable parts 13, 73 can be measured by the following method.

[0069] [Method of measuring elongation rate] First, the absorbent article is placed in its natural state, and two marks are made on the sheet member constituting the skin-facing or non-skin-facing surface of the portion to be measured for the elongation rate (for example, the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the diaper 1) with an interval of 20 mm in the lateral direction Y, which is the stretch direction. Next, with the sheet member stretched to its maximum, the distance between the two marks is measured as the stretch distance (mm). The elongation rate of the measurement portion is then calculated using the following formula (1): Elongation rate of measurement area (%) = [elongation distance (mm) / 20 (mm)] × 100 (1)

[0070] For both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3, it is preferable that the length in the lateral direction Y of the end region on the crotch part M side in the natural state is shorter than the length in the lateral direction Y of the end region on the crotch part M side in the unfolded and maximum stretched state. With the diaper 1 having such a configuration, when the diaper is put on, the length in the lateral direction Y is sufficiently wide, making it easier to grip the diaper end portions with the fingers, and further improving the fit. After the diaper is put on, the length in the lateral direction Y of the end regions on the crotch part M side of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 naturally contracts to an appropriate position in accordance with the crotch part of the wearer, thereby further improving the fit of the diaper 1. In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the front pad 2 has a crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 and the rear pad 3 has a crotch laterally stretchable portion 73, so that in the natural state, the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 contract in the lateral direction Y, and the length in the lateral direction Y of the end region on the crotch M side becomes shorter than when it is unfolded and fully stretched.

[0071] As described above, the diaper 1 of this embodiment has non-crotch laterally stretchable portions 44, 91 in at least the side regions of the end regions opposite the crotch portion M in the longitudinal direction X for both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3, and also has longitudinally stretchable portions 36, 66 stretchable in the longitudinal direction X in the side regions 2S, 3S along the longitudinal direction X. This configuration of the diaper 1 not only prevents the outflow of excrement, such as stool, from the crotch portions M of both pads 2, 3 outward in the lateral direction Y, but also prevents the outflow of excrement, such as stool, from the side regions 2S of the ventral portion F of the front pad 2 and the side regions 3S of the dorsal portion R of the rear pad 3.

[0072] In order to further enhance the above-mentioned effects, the non-crotch lateral stretchable portion 44 of the front pad 2 has an elongation rate in the lateral direction Y of preferably 120% or more, more preferably 130% or more, even more preferably 135% or more, and preferably 170% or less, more preferably 160% or less, even more preferably 155% or less. From a similar viewpoint, the non-crotch lateral stretchable portion 91 of the rear pad 3 has an elongation rate in the lateral direction Y of preferably 150% or more, more preferably 170% or more, even more preferably 180% or more, and preferably 300% or less, more preferably 280% or less, even more preferably 270% or less. The extensibility in the lateral direction Y of the non-crotch laterally stretchable portions 44, 91 can be measured in the same manner as the extensibility in the lateral direction Y of the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73.

[0073] It is preferable that the diaper 1 is capable of connecting the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 so that two absorbent regions surrounded by the laterally stretchable portions and the longitudinally stretchable portions are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction X. The "absorbent area surrounded by the laterally stretchable portions and the vertically stretchable portions" in the front pad 2 is the area surrounded by the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 and its imaginary extension line in the horizontal direction Y, the non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 44 and its imaginary extension line in the horizontal direction Y, and the vertically stretchable portion 36 and its imaginary extension line in the vertical direction X (see FIG. 2). Similarly, the "absorbent area surrounded by the laterally stretchable portion and the vertically stretchable portion" in the rear pad 3 is the area surrounded by the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 and its imaginary extension in the horizontal direction Y, the non-crotch laterally stretchable portion 91 and its imaginary extension in the horizontal direction Y, and the vertically stretchable portion 66 and its imaginary extension in the vertical direction X (see FIG. 5).

[0074] 9 and 10, in this embodiment, the front pad 2 has an absorbent region 48 surrounded by the laterally stretchable portions 13, 44 and the vertically stretchable portion 66, and the rear pad 3 has an absorbent region 108 surrounded by the laterally stretchable portions 13, 44 and the vertically stretchable portion 66. The front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected to each other via the side fastening portions 45, 45 and the central fastening portion 46 arranged on the front pad 2, and the holder fastening portion 107 arranged on the rear pad 3. The end region of the front pad 2 on the crotch portion M side and the end region of the rear pad 3 on the crotch portion M side are connected to each other in the crotch region of the wearer via the crotch fastening portion 74 of the rear pad 3, so that the absorbent region 48 of the front pad 2 and the absorbent region 108 of the rear pad 3 are lined up in the vertical direction X. Because the diaper 1 of this embodiment has such a configuration, the absorbent region 48 and the absorbent region 108, which are discontinuously formed in the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3, respectively, form a substantially integrated absorbent region, thereby enabling the diaper 1 to absorb excretory liquids such as urine and feces more stably.

[0075] In the diaper 1, it is preferable that the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected to each other so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 overlap in the vertical direction X, as shown in Fig. 9. It is also preferable that the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected to each other so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 do not overlap in the vertical direction X, as shown in Fig. 10. In this embodiment, since the back sheet 27 of the front pad 2 is made of nonwoven fabric, the entire area of ​​the non-skin facing surface of the front pad 2 is the fastening area. Due to this, when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected to each other via the crotch fastening part 74 arranged on the rear pad 3, the overlapping position of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 in the vertical direction X can be freely adjusted. By adjusting the overlapping position of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 in the vertical direction X, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected to each other so that the crotch lateral stretchable part 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch lateral stretchable part 73 of the rear pad 3 overlap in the vertical direction X. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected to each other so that the crotch lateral stretchable part 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch lateral stretchable part 73 of the rear pad 3 do not overlap in the vertical direction X.

[0076] 9, the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 overlap in the vertical direction X, so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 are brought closer to each other in the crotch region of the wearer. This makes it possible to maximize the stretchability of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13, improving the fit of the diaper 1 in the crotch region of the wearer. As shown in FIG. 10 , the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected together so that there is no overlap in the vertical direction X between the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3. This ensures a wide area in the crotch region of the wearer over which the stretchable force of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 can effectively act, improving the fit of the diaper 1 in the crotch region of the wearer and preventing excrement, such as stool, from flowing outward in the horizontal direction Y from the crotch portion M.

[0077] It is preferable that the crotch lateral elastic member 12 of the front pad 2 is arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the skin side sheet in the thickness direction of the pad 2, and the crotch lateral elastic member 72 of the rear pad 3 is arranged on the skin-facing side of the skin side sheet in the thickness direction of the pad 3. The "skin side sheet" refers to a sheet arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and the "non-skin side sheet" refers to a sheet arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body.

[0078] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the front pad 2 includes a top sheet 23 and a sublayer sheet 26 as skin-side sheets. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3(c), the crotch lateral elastic member 12 is disposed in the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 on the non-skin-facing side of the top sheet 23 in the thickness direction of the front pad 2. As shown in Fig. 6(b), the rear pad 3 has a top sheet 53 as a skin-side sheet. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6(c), a crotch-lateral elastic member 72 is disposed in the crotch-lateral stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 on the skin-facing side of the top sheet 53 in the thickness direction of the rear pad 3.

[0079] Since the thickness direction positions of the crotch lateral elastic members 12, 72 of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are as described above, when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected so that the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 and the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 of the rear pad 3 overlap with each other and the front pad 2 is disposed closer to the wearer's skin than the rear pad 3 in the crotch region of the wearer, the thickness direction positions of the crotch lateral elastic members 12, 72 are closer to the surface where the pads 2, 3 contact in the crotch region of the wearer. This allows the stretching force of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 to be fully utilized, improving the fit of the diaper 1 in the crotch region of the wearer. In addition, since the crotch lateral elastic member 72 of the rear pad 3 is disposed closer to the skin-facing surface than the top sheet 53, the second leakproof sheet 71 constituting the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 can more effectively prevent the wearer's feces from leaking. As described above, when the diaper 1 is worn, the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3 rise in a direction away from the front pad 2. That is, when the diaper 1 is worn, the rear pad 3 has a pair of convex parts on both sides of the lateral direction Y toward the front pad 2 in a cross-sectional view along the lateral direction Y and the thickness direction, and has a concave part between the pair of convex parts that is convex toward the opposite side of the front pad 2. The "parts of the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side of the rear pad 3 that rise in a direction away from the front pad 2" (side rising parts) are parts located outward in the lateral direction Y from the apexes of the pair of convex parts (parts close to the front pad 2), and the apexes are parts that serve as starting points for the side rising parts. By pulling the side rising parts of the rear pad 3, the front pad 2 can be easily separated from the rear pad 3, so that the operation of replacing the front pad 2 can be performed more easily.

[0080] It is preferable that the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 of the diaper 1 are connectable around the waist of the wearer, and when the pads 2, 3 are connected around the crotch region and waist of the wearer and worn, and then the connection between the pads 2, 3 in the waist region is released while maintaining the connection between the pads 2, 3 in the crotch region, the end region on the crotch portion M side of the front pad 2 naturally moves away from the rear pad 3.

[0081] In this embodiment, as described above, the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 can be connected around the waist of the wearer via the fastening parts 45, 45, 46. In addition, since the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have the crotch lateral stretchable parts 13, 73, a contractile force acts on at least the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side when the diaper 1 is worn. Due to this, when the pads 2, 3 are connected around the crotch region and waist of the wearer and then released from the connection between the pads 2, 3 in the waist region while maintaining the connection between the pads 2, 3 in the crotch region, the front pad 2 naturally moves away from the rear pad 3. The diaper 1 having the above-mentioned configuration makes it easier to replace the front pad 2.

[0082] Next, the preferred positional relationship between the above-mentioned elastic members and the stretchable parts will be described. Figures 11(a) to (d) show part A (see Figure 2) of the front pad 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Note that in Figures 11(a) to (d), illustrations other than the elastic members and the stretchable parts are omitted. The front pad 2 shown in Fig. 11(a) to (d) has a vertically stretchable portion 36 and a crotch-laterally stretchable portion 13. The vertically stretchable portion 36 extends in the vertical direction X, and the crotch-laterally stretchable portion 13 extends in the horizontal direction Y. A vertical elastic member 37 is disposed in the vertically stretchable portion 36, and a crotch-laterally stretchable member 12 is disposed in the crotch-laterally stretchable portion 13. The vertical elastic member 37 has a stretchable portion 4 fixed in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction X) and a non-stretchable portion 5 fixed in a non-stretched state. Similarly, the crotch-laterally elastic member 12 has a stretchable portion 4 fixed in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction Y) and a non-stretchable portion 5 fixed in a non-stretched state.

[0083] In one embodiment, the front pad 2 of the diaper 1 has, in each of the side regions 2S along the longitudinal direction X, a longitudinally stretchable portion 36 that stretches in the longitudinal direction X, and it is preferable that, on the crotch portion M side in the longitudinal direction X, the longitudinally stretchable portion 36 and the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 overlap with each other. 11(a), the front pad 2 has a vertically stretchable portion 36 composed of a leakage prevention cuff 31 and a leg cuff 35. The vertically stretchable portion 36 overlaps with the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13 on the crotch part M side in the vertical direction X. The front pad 2 has a longitudinally stretchable portion 36 that stretches in the longitudinal direction X, and the longitudinally stretchable portion 36 overlaps with the crotch-laterally stretchable portion 13 on the crotch M side in the longitudinal direction X, which makes it possible to more effectively apply the fitting pressure acting in the direction toward the skin-facing surface in the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side, thereby providing an advantageous effect of further improving the fit of the diaper 1. In particular, when the longitudinally stretchable portion 36 is the leakproof cuffs 31 and the leg cuffs 35 as in this embodiment, this advantageous effect is further enhanced. From the same viewpoint, it is preferable that the rear pad 3 has a vertically stretchable portion 66 that stretches in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 3S along the vertical direction X, and that the vertically stretchable portion 66 overlaps with the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 on the crotch portion M side in the vertical direction X. It is also more preferable that the vertically stretchable portion 66 is the leakage preventing cuff 61 and the leg cuff 65. Such an effect is achieved by at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 having vertically stretchable portions 36, 66 that stretch in the vertical direction X in the side regions 2S, 3S along the vertical direction X, respectively, and by the vertically stretchable portions 36, 66 overlapping with the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 on the crotch M side in the vertical direction X. However, it is more preferable that, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11(a), both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have vertically stretchable portions 36, 66 that stretch in the vertical direction X in the side regions 2S, 3S along the vertical direction X, respectively, and by the vertically stretchable portions 36, 66 overlapping with the crotch laterally stretchable portions 13, 73 on the crotch M side in the vertical direction X.

[0084] In one embodiment, the front pad 2 has vertically stretchable portions 36 (specifically, the leakage prevention cuffs 31 and the leg cuffs 35) in each of the side regions 2S along the vertical direction X, the vertically stretchable portions 36 have vertical elastic members 37 (specifically, the cuff elastic members 33 and the leg elastic members 34) arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, the crotch lateral stretchable portions 13 have crotch lateral elastic members 12 arranged so as to be stretchable in the horizontal direction Y, the vertical elastic members 37 and the crotch lateral elastic members 12 have non-stretchable portions 5 at their respective longitudinal ends, and preferably have a non-stretchable overlapping portion 6 at the crotch portion M side where the non-stretchable portion 5 of the vertical elastic member 37 and the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch lateral elastic member 12 overlap each other. The phrase "arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X" refers to being fixed to surrounding members in a stretched state in the vertical direction X. This forms the vertical stretchable portion 36, where the position of the vertical elastic member 37 and its surroundings stretch in the vertical direction X. Similarly, the phrase "arranged so as to be stretchable in the horizontal direction Y" refers to being fixed to surrounding members in a stretched state in the horizontal direction Y. This allows the position of the crotch horizontal elastic member 12 and its surroundings to form the crotch horizontal stretchable part 13 that stretches in the vertical direction X. The "non-stretchable portion 5" refers to a portion of the vertical elastic member 37 or the crotch horizontal elastic member 12 that is arranged in a non-stretched state in the longitudinal direction. In the non-stretchable portion 5, the longitudinal end of the vertical elastic member 37 or the crotch horizontal elastic member 12 may be fixed in a non-stretched state, or the end may be arranged in a non-fixed state. Since the non-stretchable portion 5 is arranged in a non-stretched state in the longitudinal direction of the vertical elastic member 37 or the crotch horizontal elastic member 12, it does not have stretchability in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the vertical stretchable portion 36 and the crotch horizontal stretchable portion 13 are not formed at the position where the non-stretchable portion 5 is arranged and around it. The "non-stretchable overlapping portion 6 where the non-stretchable portion 5 of the vertical elastic member 37 and the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch horizontal elastic member 12 overlap" refers to the portion where the non-stretchable portion 5 of the vertical elastic member 37 and the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch horizontal elastic member 12 overlap in a planar view.

[0085] 11(b), the vertical elastic members 37 have a stretchable portion 4 fixed in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction X) and a non-stretchable portion 5 fixed in a non-stretched state. Similarly, the crotch horizontal elastic members 12 have a stretchable portion 4 fixed in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction Y) and a non-stretchable portion 5 fixed in a non-stretched state. The non-stretchable portion 5 of the vertical elastic members 37 and the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch horizontal elastic members 12 overlap each other in a plan view, forming a non-stretchable overlapping portion 6. Since the front pad 2 has the non-stretchable overlapping portion 6, the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 is formed sufficiently wide. With the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 connected together so that the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 of the front pad 2 overlaps with the rear pad 3, and the diaper 1 is worn, the position and contraction state of the crotch laterally elastic member 12 constituting the crotch laterally stretchable portion 13 can be adjusted by grasping the pair of extensions 14, 14 with the fingers and pulling them outward in the lateral direction Y, thereby improving the adhesion between the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 in the crotch region and effectively preventing leakage of the wearer's excrement. The rear pad 3 has a vertically stretchable portion 66 stretchable in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 3S along the vertical direction X, a vertical elastic member 67 is arranged in the vertically stretchable portion 66 so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, a crotch lateral elastic member 72 is arranged in the crotch lateral stretchable portion 73 so as to be stretchable in the lateral direction Y, and the vertical elastic member 67 and the crotch lateral elastic member 72 have non-stretchable portions 5 at their respective longitudinal ends, and preferably have a non-stretchable overlapping portion 6 at the crotch portion M side, where the non-stretchable portion 5 of the vertical elastic member 67 and the non-stretchable portion 5 of the crotch lateral elastic member 72 overlap. Since the rear pad 3 has the non-stretchable overlapping portion 6, the front pad 2 can be easily separated from the rear pad 3 by pulling the non-stretchable overlapping portion 6 of the rear pad 3 during diaper changing, making it easier to replace the front pad 2. From the above viewpoint, it is preferable that at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 has a non-stretchable overlap portion 6, and it is even more preferable that both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have a non-stretchable overlap portion 6.

[0086] In one embodiment, the front pad 2 has a vertically stretchable portion 36 that stretches in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 2S along the vertical direction X, and it is preferable that on the crotch part M side in the vertical direction X, the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13 is located on an extension line of the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36. The above-mentioned phrase "the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13 is located on the extension line of the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36" means that the extension line of the stretch direction (vertical direction X) of the vertically stretchable portion 36 and the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13 overlap in a planar view. 11(c), the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13 is located on the extension line of the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 36 of the front pad 2. The front pad 2 having such a configuration has the effect of further improving the fit of the wearer's crotch area in the horizontal direction Y and effectively preventing leakage of excrement, such as stool, from the crotch area. From a similar viewpoint, it is preferable that the rear pad 3 has a vertically stretchable portion 66 that stretches in the vertical direction X in each of the side regions 3S along the vertical direction X, and that on the crotch portion M side in the vertical direction X, a crotch horizontally stretchable portion 73 is located on an extension line of the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion 66. This effect is achieved by having the crotch horizontal stretchable portions 13, 73 located on the extension line of the stretch direction of the vertical stretchable portions 36, 66 in at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3, but it is more preferable that the crotch horizontal stretchable portions 13, 73 are located on the extension line of the stretch direction of the vertical stretchable portions 36, 66 in both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3.

[0087] In one embodiment, the front pad 2 has, as the vertically stretchable portion 36, a leakage preventing cuff 31 having a vertical elastic member 37 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and a leg cuff 35 located outward in the horizontal direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 31 and having the vertical elastic member 37 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X. It is preferable that at least the vertical elastic member 37 arranged in the leg cuff 35 does not overlap with the crotch horizontally stretchable portion 13. The phrase "the vertical elastic members 37 arranged on the leg cuffs 35 do not overlap with the crotch horizontal stretchable portions 13" refers to the fact that the vertical elastic members 37 do not overlap with the crotch horizontal stretchable portions 13 in a plan view. In particular, it is preferable that the stretchable portions 4 of the vertical elastic members 37 do not overlap with the crotch horizontal stretchable portions 13 in a plan view.

[0088] The front pad 2 of each embodiment shown in Fig. 11(b) to (d) has, as the longitudinally stretchable portion 36, a leakage preventing cuff 31 having a longitudinal elastic member 37 (cuff elastic member 33) arranged so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction X, and a leg cuff 35 located outward in the lateral direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 31 and having a longitudinal elastic member 37 (leg elastic member 34) arranged so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction X. In Fig. 11(c), the leg elastic member 34 does not overlap with the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13, and in Figs. 11(b) and (d), the stretchable portion 4 of the leg elastic member 34 does not overlap with the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13. With the front pad 2 having such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the side region of the end region on the crotch portion M side from being pulled toward the abdominal portion F due to contraction of the leg elastic member 34, and the longitudinally X end 2X1 on the crotch portion M side of the front pad 2 from being curved. This prevents the connecting portion from opening when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected via the crotch fastening portion 74, thereby further improving the fit of the diaper 1 and effectively preventing leakage of excrement, such as faeces, from the crotch area. From a similar viewpoint, the rear pad 3 has, as the vertical stretchable portion 66, a leakage preventing cuff 61 having a vertical elastic member 67 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and a leg cuff 65 located outward in the horizontal direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 61 and having a vertical elastic member 67 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and it is preferable that at least the vertical elastic member 67 arranged in the leg cuff 65 does not overlap with the crotch horizontal stretchable portion 73. Such an effect can be achieved if at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 has the above-mentioned configuration, but it is more preferable that both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have the above-mentioned configuration.

[0089] In one embodiment, the front pad 2 has, as the vertically stretchable parts 36, a leakage preventing cuff 31 having a vertical elastic member 37 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and a leg cuff 35 located outward in the horizontal direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 31 and having the vertical elastic member 37 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and it is preferable that the crotch horizontally stretchable parts 13 are arranged between the leakage preventing cuff 31 or its extension line in the vertical direction X and the leg cuff 35 or its extension line in the vertical direction X. Examples of such an embodiment include the embodiments shown in Figures 11(a), (c) and (d). The front pad 2 shown in Figures 11(a), (c) and (d) has, as its vertically stretchable portion 36, a leakage preventing cuff 31 having a vertical elastic member 37 (cuff elastic member 33) arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and a leg cuff 35 located outward in the horizontal direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 31 and having a vertical elastic member 37 (leg elastic member 34) arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X. In the front pad 2 shown in FIG. 11( a ), the crotch-side laterally stretchable portions 13 are disposed between the leakage-proof cuffs 31 and the leg cuffs 35 . In the front pad 2 shown in FIG. 11(c), the crotch-side laterally stretchable portions 13 are disposed between the extension line of the leakage preventing cuffs 31 in the longitudinal direction X and the extension line of the leg cuffs 35 in the longitudinal direction X. In the front pad 2 shown in FIG. 11(d), the crotch-side laterally stretchable portion 13 is disposed between the leakage preventing cuff 31 and the extension line of the leg cuff 35 in the longitudinal direction X.

[0090] 11(a), (c) and (d), the front pad 2 has a common configuration in which "the crotch-side laterally stretchable portion 13 is disposed between the leakage-preventing cuff 31 or its extension in the longitudinal direction X and the leg cuff 35 or its extension in the longitudinal direction X", so that the contractile forces caused by the crotch-side laterally stretchable portion 13 and the longitudinally stretchable portion 36 act in a well-balanced manner in both the longitudinal direction X and the lateral direction Y in the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side of the front pad 2. This effectively prevents the side regions of the end region on the crotch M side from turning up inward in the longitudinal direction X and inward in the lateral direction Y, which would be caused by the contractile force acting excessively in the longitudinal direction X compared to the lateral direction Y. This further improves the fit of the diaper 1, and effectively prevents leakage of excrement, such as stool, from around the joint of the pads 2, 3 in the crotch region of the wearer. The embodiment shown in FIG. 11(b) does not have the configuration common to the other embodiments in FIG. 11, and is therefore inferior to the other embodiments in FIG. 11 in the effect of suppressing the curling up phenomenon. From a similar viewpoint, it is preferable that the rear pad 3 has, as the vertical stretchable portion 66, a leakage preventing cuff 61 having a vertical elastic member 67 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and a leg cuff 65 located outward in the horizontal direction Y from the leakage preventing cuff 61 and having the vertical elastic member 67 arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X, and that a crotch horizontal stretchable portion 73 is arranged between the leakage preventing cuff 61 or an extension line thereof in the vertical direction X and the leg cuff 65 or an extension line thereof in the vertical direction X. Such an effect can be achieved if at least one of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 has the above-mentioned configuration, but it is more preferable that both the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 have the above-mentioned configuration.

[0091] In order to effectively prevent the periphery of the joint between the two pads 2, 3 in the crotch region of the wearer from turning up and the leakage of excrement, such as stool, from the periphery of the joint, the distance of the crotch lateral stretchable portion 13 from each of the longitudinal X and lateral Y edges of the crotch portion M side of the front pad 2 or the rear pad 3 is preferably less than 20 mm, more preferably less than 10 mm, even more preferably less than 5 mm, and is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, even more preferably 3 mm or more.

[0092] 12 to 16 show another embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. In the other embodiment described below, a configuration different from the embodiment described above will be described. For the configuration not specifically described in the other embodiment described below, the description of the embodiment described above applies as appropriate.

[0093] A diaper 111 shown in Fig. 12 is composed of a front pad 112 arranged on the wearer's abdominal side, a rear pad 113 arranged on the wearer's back side, and an annular holder 114 arranged around the wearer's waist. The front pad 112 has a structure similar to that of the front pad 2 described above, and the rear pad 113 has a structure similar to that of the rear pad 3 described above. The holder 114 is made of a sheet member. Examples of the sheet member that can be used include nonwoven fabric, resin film, and composite sheets of nonwoven fabric and resin film. It is preferable that the holder 114 is stretchable in the circumferential direction. The diaper 111 is worn by attaching the holder 114 and then connecting the holder 114, the front pad 112 and the rear pad 113 at the crotch region and waist of the wearer.

[0094] A diaper 121 shown in Fig. 13 is composed of a pad 122 and an annular holder 124 to be placed around the waist of a wearer. The pad 122 includes a front pad (not shown) having a similar structure to the above-mentioned front pad 2, and a rear pad (not shown) having a similar structure to the above-mentioned rear pad 3, and these two pads are separably connected to each other at their end regions on the crotch side. The holder 124 is different from the holder 114 in that it is placed on the back side of the wearer and has a downward extension part 123 that extends downward. The diaper 121 is worn by attaching the holder 124 to the wearer's body and then connecting the pad 122 (the connection between the front pad and the rear pad) and the holder 124 in the crotch region and waist region of the wearer.

[0095] The diaper 131 shown in FIG. 14 is composed of a pad 132 and a cover 134. The pad 132 is constructed in the same manner as the pad 122 described above, and includes a front pad (not shown) and a rear pad (not shown). The cover 134 has a holder 136 and a downward extension 133 that extends below the holder 136, passes through the crotch region of the wearer, and can be connected to the holder 136 around the wearer's waist. The holder 136 is composed of a strip-shaped sheet member that extends in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the downward extension 133, and the strip-shaped sheet member has a pair of extensions that extend laterally outward from the downward extension 133. A fastening portion 135 is provided at the tip of one of the pair of extensions, and one and the other of the pair of extensions can be connected via the fastening portion 135 to form the holder 136 into a ring shape as shown in FIG. 14(a). One and the other of the pair of extending portions are separably connected via a fastening portion 135. It is preferable that the annular holder 136 is stretchable in the circumferential direction. The diaper 131 is worn by placing the annular holder 136 of the cover 134 around the waist of the wearer and then connecting the downward extension 133 of the holder 136 and the pad 132 in the crotch region of the wearer.

[0096] A diaper 141 shown in Fig. 15 is composed of a pad 142 to be placed on the abdominal side of a wearer, and a cover 144. The pad 142 is configured similarly to the pad 122 described above, and includes a front pad (not shown) and a rear pad (not shown). The cover 144 has a holder 146 and a downward extension portion 143 extending below the holder 146. The cover 144 has the same basic configuration as the cover 134 shown in Fig. 14 described above, but differs therefrom in that the downward extension portion 143 of the cover 144 is shorter than the downward extension portion 133 of the cover 134. The diaper 141 is worn by placing the annular holder 146 of the cover 144 around the waist of the wearer and then connecting the downward extension 143 of the holder 146 and the pad 142 in the crotch region and waist of the wearer.

[0097] 16 is composed of a front pad 152 arranged on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad 153 arranged on the wearer's back side. Whereas the holder 110 of the diaper 1 is formed only from the holder-forming members 101, 102 of the rear pad 3, the holder 154 of the diaper 151 is formed from both pads 152, 153. The structure and function of the diaper 151 other than the holder 154 is the same as the structure and function of the diaper 1 other than the holder 110.

[0098] While the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, although the above embodiment is an application of the present invention to a disposable diaper, the application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention may be applied to disposable diapers of other types than disposable diapers, and absorbent articles other than disposable diapers, such as sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, and panty liners, etc. Among these, it is preferable that the present invention be applied to a disposable diaper. In addition, the absorbent core 24 is not limited to a single-layer structure, but may have a multi-layer structure. Specifically, for example, the absorbent core 24 may have a two-layer structure consisting of an upper core and a lower core. Furthermore, the shape of the absorbent bodies 22, 52 is not limited to a rectangular shape in a plan view. Moreover, the front pad 2 (absorbent body 22) may not have the sublayer sheet 26. Moreover, the rear pad 3 (absorbent body 52) may include a sublayer sheet between the top sheet 53 and the back sheet 57.

[0099] With respect to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention further discloses the following supplementary notes. <1> A vertical direction corresponds to the front-to-back direction of a wearer, and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, An absorbent article having a front pad to be placed on the abdomen side of a wearer and a rear pad to be placed on the back side of the wearer, the front pad and the rear pad being connected in a crotch region of the wearer and usable, The front pad and the rear pad have a crotch portion disposed in the crotch region, At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a crotch lateral stretchable portion that stretches in the lateral direction at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch side. <2> At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a vertically stretchable portion that stretches in the vertical direction in each of the side regions along the vertical direction, and the vertically stretchable portion and the crotch lateral stretchable portion overlap each other on the crotch side in the vertical direction. <1> The absorbent article according to claim 1. <3> At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a vertically stretchable portion that stretches in the vertical direction in each of the side regions along the vertical direction, A vertical elastic member is disposed in the vertical stretchable portion so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction, The crotch lateral direction stretchable portion has a crotch lateral direction elastic member arranged therein so as to be stretchable in the lateral direction, The longitudinal elastic members and the crotch lateral elastic members each have a non-stretchable portion at an end in the longitudinal direction, a non-stretchable overlapping portion in which the non-stretchable portion of the vertical elastic member and the non-stretchable portion of the crotch lateral elastic member overlap on the crotch side; <1> The absorbent article according to claim 1. <4> At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a vertically stretchable portion that stretches in the vertical direction in each side region along the vertical direction, and the crotch horizontally stretchable portion is located on an extension line of the stretch direction of the vertically stretchable portion on the crotch side in the vertical direction. <1> Or <3> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <5> At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has, as the vertical stretchable portion, a leakage preventing cuff in which a vertical elastic member is arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction, and a leg cuff located laterally outward of the leakage preventing cuff and in which the vertical elastic member is arranged so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction, At least the vertical elastic members arranged on the leg cuffs do not overlap with the crotch horizontal stretchable parts. <4> An absorbent article as described above.

[0100] <6> For both the front pad and the rear pad, At least a side region in an end region opposite to the crotch portion in the longitudinal direction has a non-crotch lateral stretchable portion stretchable in the lateral direction, and each side region along the longitudinal direction has a longitudinal stretchable portion stretchable in the longitudinal direction. <1> Or <5> 13. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <7> The front pad and the rear pad can be connected so that two absorbent regions surrounded by the laterally stretchable portion and the vertically stretchable portion are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. <6> An absorbent article as described above. <8> The front pad and the rear pad can be connected to each other such that the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad and the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the rear pad overlap in the vertical direction. <6> or <7> An absorbent article as described above. <9> The front pad and the rear pad can be connected to each other such that there is no overlap between the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad and the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the rear pad in the vertical direction. <6> Or <8> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

[0101] <10> The vertical stretchable portion includes a leak-proof cuff having a vertical elastic member arranged to be stretchable in the vertical direction, and a leg cuff located outward in the horizontal direction from the leak-proof cuff and having a vertical elastic member arranged to be stretchable in the vertical direction, The crotch lateral stretchable portion is disposed between the leakage preventing cuff or its longitudinal extension line and the leg cuff or its longitudinal extension line. <2> Or <9> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <11> The front pad and the rear pad each include an absorbent body and a skin-side sheet disposed on a skin-facing surface side of the absorbent body, Both of the front pad and the rear pad have the crotch lateral stretchable portion stretchable in the lateral direction at least in the side region of the end region on the crotch portion side, In the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad and the rear pad, a crotch lateral elastic member is arranged so as to be stretchable in the lateral direction, The crotch lateral direction elastic member of the front pad is disposed on the non-skin facing side of the skin side sheet in the thickness direction of the pad, The crotch lateral direction elastic member of the rear pad is disposed on the skin-facing side of the skin-side sheet in the thickness direction of the pad. <1> Or <10> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <12> When the absorbent article is worn by connecting the front pad and the rear pad such that the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad and the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the rear pad overlap with each other and are disposed closer to the wearer's skin than the latter in the crotch region of the wearer, A side region of the end region of the rear pad on the crotch portion side stands up in a direction away from the front pad. <11> An absorbent article as described above.

[0102] <13> The front pad has an absorbent body including an absorbent body, a skin-side sheet arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and a non-skin-side sheet arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, The front pad has a crotch lateral stretchable portion that stretches in the lateral direction at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch side, A crotch sheet is disposed in the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad, The crotch sheet has a pair of extensions extending outward from both side edges of the absorbent body along the longitudinal direction in an end region of the front pad on the crotch side. <1> Or <12> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <14> The pair of extension portions have a different color from the surrounding area. <13> An absorbent article as described above. <15> For both the front pad and the rear pad, The lateral length of the end region on the crotch portion side in a natural state is shorter than the lateral length of the end region on the crotch portion side in a fully extended and unfolded state. <1> Or <14> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <16> The crotch portion of the rear pad is provided with a fastening portion that can be fastened to a fastening region provided in the crotch portion of the front pad, A pair of crotch lateral stretchable portions are formed at positions outward from both lateral edges of the fastening portion. <1> Or <15> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

[0103] <17> The front pad has a crotch lateral stretchable portion that stretches in the lateral direction at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch side, The crotch lateral stretchable portion of the front pad does not stand up toward the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn. <1> Or <16> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <18> The rear pad has a crotch lateral stretchable portion that stretches in the lateral direction at least in a side region of an end region on the crotch side, The crotch lateral stretchable portion of the rear pad stands up toward the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn. <1> Or <17> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <19> A crotch lateral direction elastic member is arranged in the crotch lateral direction stretchable portion of the rear pad so as to be stretchable in the lateral direction, the lateral elastic members of the rear pad include intermittent elastic members arranged in side regions of the end region on the crotch portion side of the rear pad, and continuous elastic members arranged continuously from one side region of the end region on the crotch portion side of the rear pad through a central region to the other side region, a position where the continuous elastic member is arranged in the crotch lateral stretchable portion of the rear pad, the position standing up toward the body of the wearer when the absorbent article is worn; <1> Or <18> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

[0104] <20> The crotch portion of the rear pad is provided with a fastening portion that can be fastened to a fastening region provided on a non-skin facing surface of the front pad, The entire area of ​​the non-skin facing surface of the front pad is the non-fastening area. <1> Or <19> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <21> When the front pad and the rear pad are overlapped and connected in the crotch region of a wearer, a connection region between the vertical end of the front pad on the crotch side and the vertical end of the rear pad on the crotch side is expandable and contractable in the vertical direction according to the overlapping of the front pad and the rear pad. <1> Or <20> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12. <22> the front pad and the rear pad are connectable around a waist of a wearer; When the two pads are connected to each other in the crotch region and around the waist of a wearer and then released from the connection between the two pads in the waist region while maintaining the connection between the two pads in the crotch region, an end region of the front pad on the crotch side naturally separates from the rear pad. <1> Or <21> 13. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

[0105] The above <21> 2 to 4 and the rear pad 3 shown in Figs. 5 to 7 are connected in the crotch region of the wearer via the crotch fastening portion 74 of the rear pad 3, the entire non-skin facing surface of the back sheet 27 of the front pad 2 is the fastening region as described above, so that the crotch fastening portion 74 can be fastened at any position on the non-skin facing surface of the back sheet 27. Due to this, in the connected state of both pads 2, 3, the connection region between the vertical direction X end 2X1 of the crotch part M side of the front pad 2 and the vertical direction X end 3X1 of the crotch part M side of the rear pad 3 can be expanded or contracted in the vertical direction X according to the overlapping of the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3. That is, the length in the vertical direction X of the diaper 1 when the front pad 2 and the rear pad 3 are connected in the crotch region of the wearer can be adjusted to the size of the wearer, so that the fit of the diaper 1 can be further improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1. Diapers 2 Front pad 3 Rear pad 5 Non-stretchable part 12,72 Crotch lateral elastic member 13,73 Inseam lateral elastic part 31,61 Leak proof cuff 35,65 leg cuff 36,66 Vertical stretch section 37,67 Longitudinal elastic members 43,92 Non-crotch lateral elastic member 44,91 Non-crotch lateral elastic part

Claims

1. It has a vertical direction corresponding to the wearer's front-to-back direction and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, An absorbent article having a front pad positioned on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad positioned on the wearer's back, and which can be used with both pads connected in the wearer's crotch area, The front pad and the rear pad have an inseam portion that is positioned in the crotch area. An absorbent article wherein at least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a lateral stretchable portion in the crotch area at least in the lateral area of ​​the end region on the crotch side.

2. Having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-back direction of the wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, An absorbent article having a front pad positioned on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad positioned on the wearer's back, and which can be used with both pads connected in the wearer's crotch area, The front pad and the rear pad have an inseam portion that is positioned in the crotch area. The front pad has a lateral stretchable portion in the crotch area, at least in the lateral area of ​​the end region on the crotch side, The lateral stretch portion of the front pad in the crotch area does not stand upright on the wearer's body side when the absorbent article is worn.

3. Having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-back direction of the wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, An absorbent article having a front pad positioned on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad positioned on the wearer's back, and which can be used with both pads connected in the wearer's crotch area, The front pad and the rear pad have an inseam portion that is positioned in the crotch area. The rear pad has a lateral stretchable portion in the crotch area, at least in the lateral area of ​​the end region on the crotch side, The lateral stretch portion of the rear pad in the crotch area stands upright on the wearer's body side when the absorbent article is worn.

4. Having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-back direction of the wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, An absorbent article having a front pad positioned on the wearer's abdominal side and a rear pad positioned on the wearer's back, and which can be used with both pads connected in the wearer's crotch area, The front pad and the rear pad have an inseam portion that is positioned in the crotch area. The front pad and the rear pad each have a lateral stretchable portion in the crotch area, at least in the lateral portion of the end area on the crotch side, The lateral stretch portion of the front pad in the crotch area does not stand upright on the wearer's body side when the absorbent article is worn. The lateral stretch portion of the rear pad in the crotch area stands upright on the wearer's body side when the absorbent article is worn.

5. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a longitudinally stretchable portion that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction in each of the side regions along the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinally stretchable portion and the transversely stretchable portion of the crotch overlap in the crotch area in the longitudinal direction.

6. At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a vertically expandable portion that expands and contracts in the vertical direction in each of the side regions along the vertical direction, A vertically elastic member is arranged in the aforementioned vertically expandable portion so as to be expandable in the vertical direction. A lateral elastic member is provided in the aforementioned crotch lateral stretchable portion so as to be expandable in the lateral direction. The longitudinal elastic member and the transverse elastic member under the crotch each have a non-stretchable portion at their respective longitudinal ends. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crotch side has a non-stretchable overlapping portion where the non-stretchable portion of the longitudinal elastic member and the non-stretchable portion of the crotch transverse elastic member overlap.

7. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a longitudinally stretchable portion that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction in each of the side regions along the longitudinal direction, and the crotch lateral stretchable portion is located on the extension of the expansion and contraction direction of the longitudinally stretchable portion on the crotch side in the longitudinal direction.

8. At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has, as the longitudinally expandable portion, a leak-proof cuff in which a longitudinally elastic member is arranged to be expandable in the longitudinal direction, and a leg cuff located laterally outward from the leak-proof cuff, in which the longitudinally elastic member is arranged to be expandable in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent article according to claim 7, wherein at least the longitudinal elastic member provided in the leg cuff does not overlap with the transverse stretch portion of the crotch.

9. Regarding both the front pad and the rear pad, The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least the side area of ​​the end region opposite to the crotch area in the longitudinal direction has a non-crotch lateral stretch portion that stretches in the transverse direction, and each side area along the longitudinal direction has a longitudinal stretch portion that stretches in the longitudinal direction.

10. The absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein the front pad and the rear pad can be connected such that the absorbent regions surrounded by the lateral and vertical expandable portions are arranged in pairs along the vertical direction.

11. The absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein the front pad and the rear pad can be connected such that the lateral stretch portion of the crotch of the front pad and the lateral stretch portion of the crotch of the rear pad overlap in the longitudinal direction.

12. The absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein the front pad and the rear pad can be connected such that there is no overlap in the vertical position of the lateral stretch portion of the crotch of the front pad and the lateral stretch portion of the crotch of the rear pad.

13. At least one of the front pad and the rear pad has a longitudinally expandable portion that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction in each of the side regions along the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinally expandable portion includes a leak-proof cuff in which a longitudinally elastic member is arranged to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, and a leg cuff located laterally outward from the leak-proof cuff, in which a longitudinally elastic member is arranged to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crotch lateral stretch portion is disposed between the leak-proof cuff or its longitudinal extension and the leg cuff or its longitudinal extension.

14. The front pad and the rear pad each comprise an absorbent and a skin-facing sheet positioned on the skin-facing side of the absorbent. Both the front pad and the rear pad have the lateral stretchable portion of the crotch that stretches laterally, at least in the lateral portion of the end area on the crotch side. The front pad and the rear pad have lateral stretchable portions in the crotch area, and lateral elastic members are arranged to be stretchable in the lateral direction. The lateral elastic member in the crotch area of ​​the front pad is positioned on the non-skin-facing side of the pad's thickness direction compared to the skin-facing sheet. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lateral elastic member of the rear pad is positioned on the skin-facing side of the pad in the thickness direction of the pad than the skin-facing sheet.

15. When the absorbent article is worn, the front pad and the rear pad are connected such that the lateral stretch portion of the front pad and the lateral stretch portion of the rear pad overlap, and the former is positioned closer to the wearer's skin than the latter in the wearer's crotch area, The absorbent article according to claim 14, wherein the lateral portion of the crotch end portion of the rear pad is raised in a direction away from the front pad.

16. The aforementioned front pad has an absorbent body comprising an absorbent body, a skin-side sheet disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and a non-skin-side sheet disposed on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body. The front pad has, at least in the lateral portion of the crotch area at the end portion on the crotch side, the crotch lateral stretch portion that stretches laterally, A crotch sheet is provided in the lateral stretchable portion of the crotch area of ​​the front pad. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crotch sheet has a pair of extensions that extend outward from both side edges of the absorbent body along the longitudinal direction at the end area of ​​the front pad on the crotch side.

17. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein the color of the pair of extensions is different from the color of the surrounding area.

18. For both the front pad and the rear pad, The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lateral length of the crotch end region in its natural state is shorter than the lateral length of the crotch end region in its unfolded and fully extended state.

19. The rear pad is provided with a fastening portion in the crotch area that can be fastened to the fastening area provided in the crotch area of ​​the front pad. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a pair of crotch lateral stretch portions are formed at a position outward from the lateral side edges of the fastening portion.

20. The front pad and the rear pad can be connected around the wearer's waist. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the connection between the two pads in the waist area is released while maintaining the connection between the two pads in the crotch area, the crotch end of the front pad naturally separates from the rear pad.

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