Underpants type absorbent article

Abstract

To provide an underpants type absorbent article which can maintain fitness to the body of a wearer after the article is worn to the wearer, and can achieve both of ease of gripping when user's fingers are hooked in wearing the article to the wearer, and ease of extension of the article in a width direction.SOLUTION: There is provided an underpants type absorbent article having side seal parts, in the underpants type absorbent article, a ventral part has, from a waist opening part, a strong stretchable region, a non-stretchable region and a weak stretchable region. On the strong stretchable region and the weak stretchable region, there are provided multiple elastic members which extend in a stretchable state along the width direction and are arranged at intervals in a body height direction. The strong stretchable region has stretch stress in the width direction which is stronger than that of the weak stretchable region. On a position adjacent to a width inside part of the side seal on the weak stretchable region, there is provided a weakest stretchable region where the stretch stress is smallest in the weak stretchable region. A width of the non-stretchable region in the body height direction is wider than a pitch interval of the elastic members in each of the strong stretchable region and the weak stretchable region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to pant-type absorbent articles such as diapers. [Background technology]

[0002] Pants-type absorbent articles such as diapers are worn by pulling them up by grasping the waist opening side like underwear. From the viewpoint of ease of wearing, several proposals have been made so far. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a pants-type disposable diaper equipped with a curved elastic member that extends in the width direction while being curved so as to bulge toward the crotch side. The curved elastic member imparts elasticity not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction (also called the body length direction) so that the disposable diaper can be easily pulled up. In the pants-type diaper described in Patent Document 2, non-stretchable regions that have no stretchability are arranged adjacent to side seal portions on both sides of the horizontal direction (also called the width direction) of an extended region of the absorbent body when the absorbent body is virtually extended in the vertical direction. The non-stretchable regions are arranged partially in the area that is likely to be gripped by the fingers when the diaper is worn, which is said to make the diaper easier to put on.

[0003] The disposable wearing article described in Patent Document 3 includes a second inelastic region located between a second elastic region and a third elastic region in the front waist region, the second inelastic region being free of elastic members and absorbers, and is provided with a plurality of heat-sealed points to improve the flatness of the second inelastic region and thereby the appearance of the article. Patent Document 4 also describes a pants-type wearing article in which first and second inelastic regions, in which no elastic member is arranged, are located between the first and third front elastic regions, and between the third and second front elastic regions in the front waist region. A plurality of elastic strips are arranged in the first and second front elastic regions, and a stretchable sheet is arranged in the third front elastic region, and the inelastic regions described above serve as buffer regions for these elastic regions. The second inelastic region is located in the end flap of the liquid-absorbent structure, and is said to be easy to hook a finger therein and grasp the third front elastic region above it with a hand when putting on the garment. Patent Document 5 describes a pants-type absorbent article in which an auxiliary region in which no elastic members are arranged is provided between the second waist region and the intermediate elastic region of the outer sheet. The auxiliary region makes it easy to hook the fingertips deeply and firmly grip the absorbent article, and allows the absorbent article to move easily along the wearer's body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-173778 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-111278 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-58226 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2015-202226 A [Patent Document 5] International Publication No. 2013 / 099510 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Pants-type absorbent articles have elasticity in the width direction from the viewpoint of fitting to the wearer's body. On the other hand, when wearing, the wearer grasps the edge of the waist opening side of the pants-type absorbent article and puts it on, and the wearer must stretch it outward in the width direction to minimize friction with the body. However, from the viewpoint of the above-mentioned fitting, the contraction force (stretching stress) inward in the width direction needs to be moderately high, and it is difficult to achieve both the contraction force and the above-mentioned operability of spreading outward in the width direction, so there is room for improvement. In addition, if the wearer puts it on when the width of the outward spread in the width direction is not sufficient, friction with the body increases, and the fingers that grasp it may slip or slip out, so there is room for improvement from this viewpoint as well. In this regard, in the pants-type disposable diaper described in Patent Document 1, the curved elastic member allocates part of its elasticity to elasticity in the length direction, which may reduce the fit described above and leaves room for improvement. In the pants-type diaper described in Patent Document 2, the non-elastic area near the side seal merely exists as a gripping margin. Therefore, there is no description of achieving both ease of gripping and ease of spreading, or achieving both while maintaining a good fit. The same is true for the wearing articles and absorbent articles described in Patent Documents 3 to 5.

[0006] In consideration of the above points, the present invention relates to a pants-type absorbent article that can be easily gripped with fingers and easily spread out in the width direction when putting on, while maintaining a good fit to the wearer's body after putting on. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a pants-type absorbent article having a body length direction and a width direction perpendicular to the body length direction, the article comprising a waist opening through which a wearer's torso passes, a pair of left and right leg openings through which the legs of the wearer pass, a belly part disposed on the belly side of the wearer, a crotch part disposed on the crotch side, and a back part disposed on the back side, and side seal parts formed by joining both side parts along the body length direction of the belly part and both side parts along the body length direction of the back part, the belly part having a strong elasticity region, a non-elasticity region, and a weak elasticity region in this order from the waist opening, The weak stretch region has a plurality of elastic members arranged at intervals in the length direction, the elastic members extending in a stretchable state along the width direction, the strong stretch region has a stronger stretching stress in the width direction than the weak stretch region, a weakest stretch region having the smallest stretching stress among the weak stretch regions is located adjacent to the widthwise inner side of the side seal portion in the weak stretch region, and the width of the non-stretch region in the length direction is wider than the pitch interval of the elastic members in each of the strong stretch region and the weak stretch region. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The pants-type absorbent article of the present invention can be easily gripped with fingers and easily spread in the width direction when putting on, while maintaining a good fit to the wearer's body after putting on. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pant-type diaper as a preferred embodiment of a pant-type absorbent article of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway developed plan view showing the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. 1 after being torn at a side seal portion, developed, and stretched, as viewed from the skin-facing side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an operation of pulling on the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of a tucking operation when the positions of the strong elasticity region and the weak elasticity region are interchanged. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of a preferred embodiment of the positional relationship between a folded-back portion of an outermost sheet and a non-elastic region. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a pants-type absorbent article of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the side that contacts the wearer's skin is referred to as the skin side, and the opposite side is referred to as the non-skin side. These terms are also used to indicate the relative positional relationship in the component configuration of an absorbent article for components that do not have a surface that contacts the wearer's skin. In addition, in an absorbent article, the direction that is located in front of the wearer when worn is referred to as the front or front side, and the direction that is located in the back is referred to as the rear or rear side. The normal direction of the front or back surface of the absorbent article, i.e., the stacking direction of the components, is referred to as the thickness direction.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a pants-type diaper 10 of this embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as the diaper 10) has a waist opening 12 through which a wearer's torso passes and a pair of left and right leg openings 13, 13 through which the wearer's legs pass. The diaper 10 has a body length direction Y and a width direction X perpendicular to the body length direction Y. The body length direction Y corresponds to the up-down direction of the wearer's body, and in terms of relative positional relationship, the waist opening 12 side is also referred to as the upper side, and the leg openings 13 side is also referred to as the lower side.

[0012] The diaper 10 has a ventral portion 10F and a back portion 10R located near the waist opening 12 and disposed on the ventral and back sides of the wearer. The ventral portion 10F and the back portion 10R are areas defined by the length of the side seal portion 11 in the body length direction Y, which will be described later, and the length of the side seal portions 11, 11 in the width direction X. The portion connecting the ventral portion 10F and the back portion 10R at the lower side forms a crotch portion 10C disposed on the crotch side of the wearer. The leg openings 13, 13 are located on the left and right outer sides of the crotch portion 10C in the width direction X. The diaper 10 further has side seal portions 11, 11 formed by joining both sides of the ventral portion 10F along the body length direction Y and both sides of the back portion 10R along the body length direction Y. As a result, the abdominal portion 10F and the rear portion 10R of the diaper 10 are connected to each other, forming the annular portion 10D of the diaper 10.

[0013] In this embodiment, the diaper 10 comprises, as its constituent members, a vertically long absorbent main body 1 and an exterior body 2 joined to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent main body 1. The exterior body 2 forms an outer surface main body that covers the entire abdominal portion 10F, crotch portion 10C, and back portion 10R. The portion of the exterior body 2 disposed in the abdominal portion 10F is also referred to as a front exterior body 21, and the portion disposed in the back portion 10R is also referred to as a rear exterior body 22. More specifically, the side seal portion 11 is a region formed by overlapping and joining both side edges of the front exterior body 21 of the ventral portion 10F and the rear exterior body 22 of the back portion 10R, and refers to the region from the widthwise outer end 11A to the widthwise inner end 11B of the side seal. The side seal portion 11 extends along the body length direction Y at both left and right ends of the front exterior body 21 and the rear exterior body 22 in the width direction X. The extension range of the side seal portion 11 along the body length direction Y is a range corresponding to the length of the annular portion 10D (the ventral portion 10F and the back portion 10R) in the body length direction Y. In other words, the extension range is a range from the height position of the waist opening 12 to a position adjacent to the upper end of the leg opening 13 in the body length direction Y. The widthwise outer end 11A and the widthwise inner end 11B of the side seal portion 11 exist along the body length direction Y in this extension range. The joining at the side seal portion 11 can be performed by various methods used for this type of article. Examples include fusion joining (e.g., heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, laser melting) and pressure joining (e.g., embossing) which are pressure-integrated joining methods. In addition, the aforementioned absorbent body 1 and exterior body 2 can be joined by joining means employed in this type of article, such as a hot melt adhesive. The application method used is also a method such as spiral coating that does not increase the rigidity of the members and does not impair liquid permeability or breathability (the same applies to the following joining).

[0014] 2 shows the diaper 10 when it is broken at the side seal portions 11, 11, unfolded and stretched, as viewed from the skin-facing side. The unfolded and stretched state (unfolded state) refers to the state in which each portion is stretched to spread the pants-type absorbent article flat. In the unfolded state, the length direction Y and width direction X described above correspond to the longitudinal direction Y and width direction X in the unfolded state. The front body 10S and the rear body 10T are also referred to as a front body 10S and a rear body 10T, respectively, with the center line CL in the longitudinal direction Y along the width direction X as the boundary. In the unfolded state of the diaper 10, the exterior body 2 has a curved shape in which both side edges of the crotch portion 10C are gently constricted inward in the width direction X from the lower end edge of the side seal portion 11. The exterior body 2 also has a horizontally elongated shape that protrudes in the width direction X in the abdominal portion 10F and the back portion 10R. The vertically elongated absorbent main body 1 is disposed in the skin-facing side of the exterior body 2 in the central region in the width direction X, with its longitudinal direction facing the longitudinal direction Y, across the abdominal portion 10F, the crotch portion 10C, and the back portion 10R along the longitudinal direction Y. The planar shape of the exterior body 2 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2 and may take various forms. For example, the exterior body 2 may be disposed only in the abdominal portion 10F and the back portion 10R and not extend to the crotch portion 10C. In this case, the crotch portion 10C is constituted by the absorbent main body 1.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent body 1 has a liquid-permeable top sheet 3 on the skin side, a leakproof back sheet 4 on the non-skin side, and a liquid-retentive absorbent body 5 arranged between the top sheet 3 and the back sheet 4. The absorbent body 5 is an assembly of absorbent materials that absorb and retain body fluids, and may be covered with a hydrophilic core wrap sheet such as crepe paper. The absorbent body 5 has the same width (length in the width direction X) as the absorbent body 1, and is slightly shorter in length in the body length direction Y than the absorbent body 1. Furthermore, the absorbent body 1 has a pair of side sheets 6 on both sides in the longitudinal direction Y. A three-dimensional gather elastic member 79 is arranged on the inner end of the side sheet 6 in the width direction X and joined in a stretched state along the longitudinal direction Y, forming a three-dimensional gather that can stand up toward the skin surface of the wearer when worn.

[0016] With regard to the exterior body 2, a plurality of elastic members extending in a stretchable state along the width direction X are arranged at intervals in the body length direction Y on the front exterior body 21 of the abdominal side portion 10F. More specifically, a plurality of waist opening periphery elastic members 71 and a plurality of waist periphery elastic members 72 below the waist opening periphery elastic members 71 (hereinafter also simply referred to as elastic members 71, 72) are arranged on the front exterior body 21 of the abdominal side portion 10F. Each elastic member extends in a stretchable state in the width direction and is joined at side seal portions 11, 11 on the left and right ends of the abdominal side portion 10F to be stretchable. The elastic member 72 is partially cut at a position overlapping the absorbent main body 1 arranged at the center of the width direction X of the abdominal side portion 10F. This prevents the absorbent main body 1 from twisting due to the elastic force of the elastic member 72, and makes it difficult for a gap to occur between the absorbent main body 1 and the wearer's body. The cut ends of the elastic member 72 are joined to the front exterior body 21 at positions overlapping both the left and right sides of the absorber 5, and are made stretchable between the other ends joined to the side seal parts 11. In this manner, the elastic member 72 extends in the width direction X on the left and right outside of the position overlapping the absorbent main body 1. In this embodiment, the elastic member 72 includes one located above the absorbent main body 1, and in this portion, the elastic member 72 is arranged to be stretchable continuously over the entire width direction X between the side seal parts 11, 11.

[0017] In this embodiment, the front exterior body 21 is provided with leg elastic members 78 in addition to the elastic members 71 and 72 extending along the width direction X. More specifically, the leg elastic members 78 extend in the width direction X from the lower end regions of the left and right side seal portions 11 of the abdominal portion 10F in the front body 10S, then extend downward intersecting the width direction X, and are provided in the exterior body 2 along the gently constricted curved portions of both side edges of the crotch portion 10C. In this manner, the leg elastic members 78 are provided along the leg openings 13. Furthermore, the leg elastic members 78 change direction and extend inward in the width direction X near the center line CL in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0018] In this embodiment, the elastic members 71, 72 are arranged in the back portion 10R as in the abdominal portion 10F. The absorbent body 1 along the body length direction Y is laminated to the back portion 10R as in the abdominal portion 10F. Furthermore, the leg elastic members 78 are arranged in the back body 10T from the lower end regions of the left and right side seal portions 11 of the back portion 10R along the leg opening 13 of the crotch portion 10R as in the abdominal front body 10S. However, the leg elastic members 78 extending from the back portion 10R to the crotch portion 10C extend slightly toward the front body 10S beyond the center line CL in the longitudinal direction Y, and change direction inward in the width direction X at that position to overlap with the leg elastic members 78 extending from the abdominal portion 10F to the crotch portion 10C.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the abdominal portion 10F will be described in more detail. The abdominal portion 10F has, in this order from the waist opening 12, a strong elasticity region 14A, a non-elasticity region 14B, and a weak elasticity region 14C. The strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C are regions that have stretchability along the width direction X, and the stretchability refers to the property of being stretchable and contracting when the stretching is released. In the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C, a plurality of elastic members 71, 72 that extend in a stretchable state along the width direction X are arranged at intervals in the body length direction Y. The strong stretch region 14A has stretchability in the width direction X due to the elastic member 71, and the weak stretch region 14C has stretchability in the width direction X due to the elastic member 72. This provides a fit to the wearer at the abdominal side portion 10F. With regard to the stretchability, the strong stretch region 14A has a stronger stretch stress in the width direction X than the weak stretch region 14C. That is, the strong stretch region 14A has a stronger force of inward contraction along the width direction X than the weak stretch region 14C, and the fit is further improved. The stretchability and stretching stress of the abdominal portion 10F are due to the elastic members 71 and 72 as described above, and are due to the stretchability of the front exterior body 21 in which the elastic members 71 and 72 are arranged in a stretchable state.

[0020] The difference in the stretch stress can be achieved by making the elastic members 71, 72 in the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C different in terms of the stretch rate, number, pitch, type (diameter, material), etc. The number and pitch of the elastic members 71, 72 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 2 and may take various forms. The elastic members 71, 72 may be of various types that are commonly used in this type of article. For example, thread-like or string-like members (flat rubber, etc.) may be used. The elastic members 71, 72 are preferably sandwiched between two layers of sheets such as nonwoven fabric that constitute the exterior body 2 and fixed in a stretchable state.

[0021] The non-stretchable region 14B is a region that does not exhibit the stretchability of the elastic member. The non-stretchable region 14B can be formed as a region that does not contain an elastic member, or, even if it contains an elastic member, the elastic member is cut so that it does not exhibit stretchability in the width direction X. As described later, from the viewpoint of making it easier to grip with fingers when putting on the diaper 10 and from the viewpoint of allowing the diaper 10 to stably function as a gripping margin when putting on the diaper 10, it is preferable that the non-stretchable region 14B does not contain an elastic member.

[0022] In the abdominal portion 10F, the strong elastic region 14A tightens tightly around the waist opening 12 (arrow F1 in FIG. 3), and the non-elastic region 14B below it enhances the ease of gripping due to the elastic stress difference (ease of gripping with the fingers of the hand W in FIG. 3). That is, while the strong elastic region 14A shrinks the mouth of the waist opening 12 inward in the width direction X, the adjacent and lower non-elastic region 14B is likely to be held over its entire length in the width direction X, and becomes like a depression inside a bag, making it easy to hook the fingers. In addition, due to the elastic stress difference, the fingers are unlikely to slip out toward the waist opening 12 when the diaper 10 is put on. Because the fingers are unlikely to slip out and because the non-elastic region 14B is a region that does not exhibit the elasticity of the elastic member, a stably pulled-up force can be applied to the gripped non-elastic region 14B. In this manner, the non-elastic region 14B functions as a gripping margin during the donning operation, in other words, as a base for gripping and pulling up the entire diaper 10 (a plate-shaped gripping and digging-up base extending in the width direction X). In addition, since the weakly stretchable region 14C is located below the non-stretchable region 14B, when a force is applied to firmly grasp the non-stretchable region 14B and pull it outward in the width direction X, the force is more likely to propagate downward than upward. This force propagates in a direction that is easily achieved because the non-stretchable region 14B is a region that does not exhibit stretchability, and the weakly stretchable region 14C has a weaker stretching stress than the strong stretchable region 14A and is more likely to stretch outward in the width direction X. As a result, when the diaper 10 is put on, the non-stretchable region 14B that does not exhibit stretchability acts as a plate-like force point and acts appropriately to sufficiently spread the weakly stretchable region 14C outward in the width direction X (arrow F2 in FIG. 3). This improves the operability of spreading outward in the width direction X, and makes it possible to prevent the friction between the diaper 10 and the body from increasing during the putting on of the diaper 10, and to prevent the fingers from slipping or slipping out. In other words, the operability of putting on the diaper 10 as a whole (the operability of putting it on) can be improved. The aforementioned improvement in operability in spreading outward in the width direction X can be effectively achieved not only by the wearer himself / herself but also by a caregiver, and can also be effectively achieved when putting the diaper 10 on and off. Furthermore, by having the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C above and below the non-stretch region 14B, it is possible to control the stretch stress between the two regions so as to maintain a good fit of the diaper 10 to the wearer's body length direction Y after putting it on and prevent it from slipping off. The strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C are configured as described above to satisfactorily exert the above-mentioned effects. In other words, if the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C were arranged in the opposite direction, the fingers of the hand W would easily slip out when gripping the non-stretch region 14B (FIG. 4). Therefore, the above-mentioned wearing operability can be satisfactorily exerted by arranging the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C as described above.

[0023] In addition, the weakest stretch region 14D, which has the smallest stretch stress among the weak stretch regions 14C, is located adjacent to the widthwise inner side (widthwise inner end 11B) of the side seal portion 11 in the weak stretch region 14C. That is, the weakest stretch region 14D has the weakest force of contracting inward along the width direction X while having stretchability among the weak stretch regions 14C. As a result, the weakest stretch region 14D is more likely to be spread outward in the width direction X with less force among the weak stretch regions 14C (arrow F2 in FIG. 3). In particular, since the weakest stretch region 14D is located adjacent to the widthwise inner side of the side seal portion 11, the force applied to the non-stretch region 14B, which does not exhibit stretchability, is more likely to be applied to the entire length direction Y of the weakest stretch region 14D via the side seal portion 11, making it easier to spread. This more reliably reduces friction with the body when the diaper 10 is put on, and more reliably prevents fingers from slipping out when gripping the diaper 10. Furthermore, by making the stretch stress different between the least stretchable region 14D, which is in contact with the side seal portion 11, and the inner weakly stretchable region 14E located on the inner side of the least stretchable region 14C in the width direction X, it is possible to improve the ease of spreading the least stretchable region 14D as described above, as well as the ease of pulling the diaper 10 upward in the entire region including the inner weakly stretchable region 14E, which has a relatively stronger stretch stress than the least stretchable region 14D, and the absorbent main body 1. In addition, it is possible to control the stretch stress between the two regions so as to maintain a good fit of the diaper 10 against the abdominal side of the wearer after putting on the diaper 10.

[0024] The weakest stretch region 14D can be provided by various means that are commonly used. For example, the weakest stretch region 14D and the inner weak stretch region 14E may be formed by making the elastic member 72 have different stretch rates, numbers, pitches, types (diameters, materials), etc. The weakest stretch region 14D may be formed by disposing a continuous elastic member 72 over the entire width direction X of the weak stretch region 14C, and disposing a hot melt adhesive or the like on the elastic member 72 at a position in the weak stretch region 14C adjacent to the inner side of the side seal portion 11 in the width direction to form the weakest stretch region 14D. It is preferable to apply the adhesive using a spray or a nozzle in order to suitably control the amount of adhesive applied. This makes it possible to suitably form an adhesive portion that imparts a desired suppressed stretch stress while retaining extensibility to the weakest stretch region 14D. The adhesive portion may be formed continuously or intermittently on the elastic member 72. From the viewpoint of making it easier to form the weakest stretch region 14D, it is preferable to form the adhesive portion continuously on the elastic member 72.

[0025] Furthermore, the width of the non-elastic region 14B in the body length direction Y is wider than the pitch intervals of the elastic members 71, 72 in the strong elastic region 14A and the weak elastic region 14C. This allows the non-elastic region 14B to have a sufficient width in the body length direction Y as the aforementioned gripping margin, i.e., a plate-shaped gripping and digging base extending in the width direction X.

[0026] In this way, the diaper 10 can be easily gripped with fingers when putting on the diaper 10 and easily spread out in the width direction when putting the diaper 10 on, while maintaining a good fit to the wearer's body after putting the diaper 10 on.

[0027] (Method of measuring the stretch stress of the strong stretch region 14A, the weak stretch region 14C, the weakest stretch region 14D, and the inner weak stretch region 14E) (1) Taking the above-mentioned diaper 10 as an example, the side seal portion 11 of the diaper 10 is peeled off to lay the diaper 10 out in an unfolded state (FIG. 2), and the region to be measured for the stretching stress is cut out from the exterior body 2 as a sample having a rectangular shape in plan view. First, in the abdominal portion 10F, regions are defined on the left and right sides from a position where the outer edge of the absorbent main body 1 is extended in the body length direction Y. In the region, a region is cut out from the waist opening 12 toward the body length direction Y to a position 5 mm below the lowest waist elastic member 72. However, regarding the lower cut-out position, if, for example, the leg elastic member 78 overlaps, the cut-out position is set to a position where they do not overlap. The obtained sample includes the side seal portion 11 at one end in the width direction X, and the region circumscribing the absorbent main body 1 at the other end. (2) From the sample (1) above, the length in the body length direction Y of the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C is recorded. At that time, the width in the body length direction Y of the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C is recorded based on each area division based on the area of ​​the non-stretch region 14B as described below, and further includes the area to be gripped by the zipper. Specifically, the length in the body length direction Y of the strong stretch region 14A is from the position of the waist opening 12 to a position 5 mm below the waist opening elastic member 71 at the bottom of the strong stretch region 14A. The length in the body length direction Y of the weak stretch region 14C is from a position 5 mm above the waist elastic member 72 at the top (waist opening 12 side) of the weak stretch region 14C to a position 5 mm below the waist elastic member 72 at the bottom (crotch side) of the weak stretch region 14C. However, if it is less than 5 mm, it is to the end, and if it overlaps with the leg elastic member 78, it is to the point where it does not overlap. In this region, measurement samples of the strong elasticity region 14A and the weak elasticity region 14C are cut out from the sample (1) above. [Regarding non-stretchable region 14B] The non-elastic region 14B is the region in which the pitch of the elastic members extending in the width direction X in the body length direction Y is the widest. In the present embodiment shown in Fig. 2, this region extends from the lower edge of the lowermost of the waist opening periphery elastic members 71 to the upper edge of the uppermost of the waist circumference elastic members 72. [About the strong elastic region 14A] The highly elastic region 14A is the region from the upper end of the non-elastic region 14B in the body length direction Y to the waist opening 12. In the present embodiment shown in Figure 2, the highly elastic region 14A is the region from the arrangement position of the lowermost one of the waist opening-area elastic members 71 to the waist opening 12. [About the weak stretch area 14C] The weakly stretchable region 14C is defined as a region extending from the lower end of the non-stretchable region 14B in the length direction Y to the lower end of the region in which the elastic members are arranged in the length direction Y. In the present embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the weakly stretchable region 14C is defined as a region extending from the arrangement position of the uppermost of the waistline elastic members 72 to the arrangement position of the lowermost of the waistline elastic members 72. (3) For each cut-out measurement sample, the length in the direction corresponding to the length direction Y of the diaper 10 and the length in the direction corresponding to the width direction X are measured. Next, the measurement sample is fixed between the chucks of a tensile tester (for example, "AUTOGRAPH AGX-V" (product name) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) so that the width direction X of the measurement sample coincides with the tensile direction. The chuck distance is 30 mm (the chuck distance can be shortened depending on the size of the sample). Then, the measurement sample is fixed between the chucks, and extended to a length where the chuck distance is 180% (54 mm in this case), and then returned to the chuck distance, and extended to a length where the chuck distance is 180% again, and the tensile load (N) when the chuck distance is reduced to a length where the chuck distance is 160% (48 mm in this case) is measured, and this is the stress (N) of the measurement sample. All measurements are performed at 300 mm / min. The value obtained by dividing the obtained stress (N) by the length in the length direction Y recorded in advance is defined as the stretching stress (N / mm) of the measurement sample. (4) To measure the stretch stress of the inner stretch region 14E and the least stretch region 14D in the weak stretch region 14C, a measurement sample having a rectangular shape in plan view, measuring 30 mm in the length direction Y and 70 mm in the width direction X, is cut out from the measurement sample of the weak stretch region 14C cut out in (2) above. In this measurement sample, the least stretchable region 14D is a region (region D) having a width of 20 mm in the width direction X from a position 5 mm inside the side seal portion 11 of the measurement sample of the weak stretchable region 14C. Also, the inward stretchable region 14E is a region (region E) having a width of 20 mm in the width direction X from a position 5 to 10 mm from the end of the measurement sample of the weak stretchable region 14C on the opposite side to the side seal portion 11 (the absorbent main body 1 side). Using the tensile tester described in (3) above, both outer sides of the above-mentioned region D and region E in the width direction X are chucked with a chuck distance of 20 mm. The tensile load (N) is measured when both are stretched from the natural state to 160% (32 mm in this case) at 300 mm / sec, and this is taken as the stretch stress (N / mm) of the measurement sample for each of the weakest stretch region 14D and the inward stretch region 14E.

[0028] From the viewpoint of further improving smooth donning operability, including ease of gripping and spreading when donning, as described above, it is preferable that the highly elastic region 14A is located at a position where it does not overlap with the absorbent main body 1, i.e., closer to the waist opening 12 than the absorbent main body 1. This maximizes the inherent contractile force of the elastic member, leading to improved gripping ability. From the same viewpoint, it is preferable that the strong elasticity region 14A and the weak elasticity region 14C include the entire area in the width direction X between the side seal portions 11, 11 (widthwise inner ends 11B, 11B).

[0029] From the viewpoint of further improving smooth donning operability, it is preferable that the non-stretchable region 14B includes the entire area in the width direction X between the side seal portions 11, 11 (widthwise inner ends 11B, 11B). In this case, the non-stretchable region 14B may be disposed continuously or intermittently along the width direction X. From the viewpoint of further improving smooth donning operability, it is preferable that the non-stretchable region 14B is disposed continuously along the width direction X.

[0030] In the ventral portion 10F, in order to better exhibit the above-mentioned functions of each region, it is preferable that the widths of the strong stretch region 14A, the non-stretch region 14B and the weak stretch region 14C in the body length direction Y satisfy the relationship weak stretch region 14C > strong stretch region 14A ≧ non-stretch region 14B.

[0031] In the abdominal side portion 10F, the ratio (H1 / (H1+H2+H3)) of the width H1 in the length direction Y of the strong elasticity region 14A to the width (H1+H2+H3) in the length direction Y of the abdominal side portion 10F is preferably 0.1 or more, more preferably 0.13 or more, and even more preferably 0.15 or more, from the viewpoint of preventing fingers from slipping out. Moreover, from the viewpoint of allowing fingers to grip the gripping margin firmly, the ratio (H1 / (H1+H2+H3)) is preferably equal to or less than 0.41, more preferably equal to or less than 0.35, and even more preferably equal to or less than 0.30.

[0032] The ratio (H2 / H1) of the width H2 in the length direction Y of the non-elastic region 14B to the width H1 in the length direction Y of the highly elastic region 14A is preferably 0.33 or more from the viewpoint of making it easier to grip as a gripping margin and more suitably applying a force to spread it outward in the width direction X, and is preferably 1 or less from the viewpoint of making it more difficult for the fingers to slip out of the gripping position.

[0033] The ratio (H3 / H1) of the width H3 in the length direction Y of the weak stretch region 14C to the width H1 in the length direction Y of the strong stretch region 14A is preferably 1.1 or more, more preferably 1.5 or more, and even more preferably 2 or more, from the viewpoint of increasing the ease of spreading the garment when put on and reducing friction with the wearer's body. Moreover, from the viewpoint of further improving the fit after wearing, the ratio (H3 / H1) is preferably 6 or less, more preferably 5.5 or less, and even more preferably 5 or less.

[0034] The width H1 in the length direction Y of the strong stretch region 14A and the width H3 in the length direction Y of the weak stretch region 14C are determined based on the sample cutting method described above (Method for measuring the stretch stress of the strong stretch region 14A, the weak stretch region 14C, the least stretch region 14D, and the inner weak stretch region 14E).

[0035] The width H1 of the highly elastic region 14A in the body length direction Y is preferably 20 mm or more and 45 mm or less. The width H2 of the non-elastic region 14B in the body length direction Y is preferably 15 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The width H3 of the weakly stretchable region 14C in the body length direction Y is preferably 50 mm or more and 120 mm or less.

[0036] In the weakly stretchable region 14C, the ratio (W2 / (W1=W2+W3)) of the length W2 in the width direction X of the least stretchable region 14D to the length W1 in the width direction X on the left and right outer sides of the position overlapping with the absorbent body 1 is preferably 0.1 or more, and more preferably 0.2 or more, from the viewpoint of increasing the ease of spreading outward in the width direction X. Moreover, the ratio (W2 / (W1=W2+W3)) is preferably 0.6 or less, and more preferably 0.5 or less, from the viewpoint of improving the fit to the abdominal side of the wearer after the wearing operation.

[0037] In the abdominal portion 10F, the ratio of the elastic stress of the weak elastic region 14C to the elastic stress of the strong elastic region 14A is preferably 0.75 or less, and more preferably 0.65 or less, from the viewpoint of increasing the ease of outward spread in the width direction X. From the viewpoint of improving the fit after wearing, the ratio of the stretch stress of the weak stretch region 14C to the strong stretch region 14A is preferably 0.05 or more, and more preferably 0.15 or more.

[0038] In the weak stretch region 14C, the ratio of the stretch stress of the least stretchable region 14D to the stretch stress of the inner weak stretchable region 14E is preferably 0.95 or less, from the viewpoint of increasing the ease of outward expansion in the width direction X. In addition, the ratio of the stretching stress of the least stretchable region 14D to the stretching stress of the inner weakly stretchable region 14E is preferably 0.50 or more, from the viewpoint of further improving the fit after putting on the garment.

[0039] The relationship of the stretch stress described above is a value grasped throughout the entire region of each of the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C. As long as the relationship of the stretch stress is grasped throughout the entire region, each of the strong stretch region 14A and the weak stretch region 14C may include a plurality of stretch regions.

[0040] Furthermore, in the abdominal portion 10F, it is preferable that the strong elasticity region is colored in order to visually highlight the non-elasticity region 14B as a gripping margin. From the same viewpoint, it is preferable that the least elasticity region 14D is colored, and it is more preferable that the weak elasticity region 14C is colored. The coloring can be performed by various methods commonly used for this type of article. For example, a colored adhesive may be applied, or a colored elastic member may be used.

[0041] In the diaper 10, it is preferable that the configurations of the strong stretch region 14A, non-stretch region 14B, weak stretch region 14C, and the least stretch region 14D and inner weak stretch region 14E included in the weak stretch region 14B of the abdominal portion 10F are also arranged in the back portion 10R (FIG. 2). That is, it is preferable that the strong stretch region 15A, non-stretch region 15B, weak stretch region 15C, and the least stretch region 15D and inner weak stretch region 15E included in the weak stretch region in the back portion 10R are configured similarly to the strong stretch region 14A, non-stretch region 14B, weak stretch region 14C, and the least stretch region 14D and inner weak stretch region 14E included in the weak stretch region 14B of the abdominal portion 10F. This allows the diaper 10 to be more easily put on by increasing both the ease of gripping it with fingers and the ease of spreading it out in the width direction while maintaining a high level of fit to the wearer's body after the diaper 10 is put on, thereby further improving the ease of putting on the diaper 10. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the dorsal portion 10R has the various configurations described above relating to the strong elasticity region 14A, the non-elasticity region 14B, and the weak elasticity region 14C that the ventral portion 10F has.

[0042] Furthermore, in the diaper 10, it is preferable that the overlap between the folded-back portion 21A of the outermost outer sheet 21 constituting the outer body 2 and the non-elastic region 14B is less than half the width in the length direction Y of the non-elastic region 14B (FIG. 5). In other words, it is preferable that the width H21 in the length direction Y of the overlapping portion 21B of the folded-back portion 21A of the outermost outer sheet 21 with the non-elastic region 14B is less than half the width H2 in the length direction Y of the non-elastic region 14B. This creates a step in the non-stretchable region 14B, which serves as a gripping margin, where the finger can slip in, making it easier to grip. Also, by suppressing the increase in the rolling up of the folded-up portion 21A in the non-stretchable region 14B, it is possible to suppress the discomfort felt when gripping and to avoid hindrance to the gripping operation due to rolling up.

[0043] The outermost sheet 21 constituting the exterior body 2 means the outermost sheet in the laminate when the exterior body 2 is a laminate of multiple sheets, and includes the sheet closest to the skin side and the sheet closest to the skin side. The folded-back portion 21A of the outermost sheet 21 means the portion where the exterior body 2 is folded back from the end portion 10E on the waist opening 12 side to the skin side, and means the sheet located closest to the skin side in the exterior body 2.

[0044] The members and materials constituting the diaper 10 may be made of any material commonly used for this type of article, without any particular limitations. For example, various elastic members may be those normally used for this type of article, and examples of materials include synthetic rubber such as styrene-butadiene, butadiene, isoprene, neoprene, etc., natural rubber, EVA, elastic polyolefin, polyurethane, etc., and the shapes may be thread-like or string-like (flat rubber, etc.) with a rectangular, square, circular, polygonal, etc. cross section, or multifilament type thread-like, etc. Specifically, the thread rubber used has the fineness as described above.

[0045] The exterior body 2 may be configured with one layer or two or more layers, and in either case, the constituent materials thereof may be nonwoven fabric, a laminate of nonwoven fabric and resin film, a porous film, etc. From the viewpoint of leak prevention, it is preferable that the exterior body 2 is liquid impermeable, and it is preferable that the exterior body 2 is breathable and permeable to water vapor in order to prevent an excessive increase in humidity inside the diaper.

[0046] The top sheet 3 constituting the absorbent body 1 is preferably a hydrophilic thermobonded nonwoven fabric, particularly an air-through nonwoven fabric, from the viewpoint of swiftly absorbing and transmitting excreted body fluids to the absorbent body and from the viewpoint of pleasant touch. The top sheet 3 is preferably a hydrophilic thermoplastic resin fiber, and the fiber is preferably a fiber that has been subjected to three-dimensional crimping such as secondary crimping or tertiary crimping. Specifically, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, nylon, and composite fibers thereof are prepared, and before cutting them to a predetermined length to form staples, various hydrophilizing agents are applied to the fibers. As the hydrophilizing agent, various alkyl sulfonates represented by α-olefin sulfonates, acrylates, acrylate / acrylamide copolymers, ester amides, salts of ester amides, polyethylene glycol and its derivatives, water-soluble polyester resins, various silicone derivatives, various sugar derivatives, and mixtures thereof, etc., may be used for hydrophilization treatment using hydrophilizing agents known to those skilled in the art.

[0047] The back sheet 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is moisture permeable and prevents liquid penetration, and examples thereof include a porous film obtained by melt-kneading a hydrophobic thermoplastic resin with a minute inorganic filler such as calcium carbonate or an incompatible organic polymer to form a film, and then uniaxially or biaxially stretching the film. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyolefin. Examples of the polyolefin include high to low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, etc., and these can be used alone or in combination.

[0048] Examples of the absorbent core 5 include a mixture of hydrophilic fibers and highly absorbent polymer particles, a mixture of hydrophilic fibers, highly absorbent polymer particles, and thermoplastic synthetic resin fibers, or a water-absorbent sheet in which highly absorbent polymer particles are sandwiched between a plurality of fiber sheets. As the hydrophilic fibers, fibers having a hydrophilic surface can be used, such as cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers that have been hydrophilized with a surfactant or the like as necessary. In the case of the mixture, the entirety of the mixture is covered with a liquid-permeable sheet such as tissue paper or hydrophilic fiber nonwoven fabric to prevent the shape from being lost or the polymer particles from falling off. As the polymer particles, starch-based, cellulose-based, and synthetic polymer-based ones can be used.

[0049] The side sheet 6 is preferably a water-repellent nonwoven fabric, and various nonwoven fabrics that are water-repellent or have been treated to be water-repellent can be used from among spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunlace nonwoven fabric, heat-rolled nonwoven fabric, needle-punched nonwoven fabric, etc. Particularly preferably, for example, spunbond nonwoven fabric, spunbond-meltblown (SM) nonwoven fabric, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS), spunbond-meltblown-meltblown-spunbond (SMMS), spunbond-spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SSMS) nonwoven fabric, etc. are used.

[0050] The pants-type absorbent article of the present invention may be for babies or adults, and may be in a form other than a diaper, such as sanitary shorts, shorts-type napkins, disposable shorts, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Absorbent body 2 Exterior body 10 Pants-type diapers 10F Ventral part 10C Inseam 10R Dorsal part 11 Side seal part 12 Waist opening 13 Leg opening 14A, 15A strong stretch area 14B, 15B Non-stretchable area 14C, 15C weak stretch area 14D, 15D Weakest stretch area 14E, 15E Weak inward stretch region 71 (around waist opening) Elastic material 72 (Waist) Elastic material

Claims

1. A pants-type absorbent article having a body length direction and a width direction perpendicular to the body length direction, the article comprising a waist opening through which a wearer's torso passes and a pair of left and right leg openings through which the legs of the wearer pass, a belly part disposed on the belly side of the wearer, a crotch part disposed on the crotch side, and a back part disposed on the back side, and side seal parts formed by joining both side parts of the belly part along the body length direction and both side parts of the back part along the body length direction, the abdominal portion has, in order from the waist opening, a strong stretch region, a non-stretch region, and a weak stretch region, the strong stretch region and the weak stretch region have a plurality of elastic members extending in a stretchable state along the width direction arranged at intervals in the length direction, the strong stretch region has a stronger stretch stress in the width direction than the weak stretch region, a weakest stretch region having the smallest stretch stress among the weakly stretchable regions is present at a position adjacent to the inner side of the side seal portion in the width direction in the weakly stretchable region, The width of the non-elastic region in the body length direction is wider than the pitch intervals of the elastic members in the strong elasticity region and the weak elasticity region. Pants-type absorbent article.

2. The pants-type absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein an adhesive is applied to the elastic members in the least stretchable region.

3. 3. The pants-type absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the widths of the strong elasticity region, the non-elasticity region and the weak elasticity region in the length direction satisfy the relationship: weak elasticity region>strong elasticity region≧non-elasticity region.

4. The pants-type absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the highly elastic region is colored.

5. The pants-type absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the least elastic region is colored.

6. The pants-type absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the configuration relating to the strong elasticity region, non-elasticity region and weak elasticity region of the ventral portion, as well as the least elasticity region included in the weak elasticity region, is also arranged in the dorsal portion.

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