Absorbent article individual package

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article individual package from which an absorbent article can be easily taken out even though compactly and individually packaged, and which can also ensure hygiene during manufacturing.SOLUTION: Provided is an absorbent article individual package 10, in which longitudinal areas on both sides folded inward longitudinally includes a package inner area 11 and a package outer area 12. Sheet outer areas 32a and 32b of an individual packaging sheet 30 in the package outer area 12, each include a corner part of the individual packaging sheet 30 and have a fixing part 37 fixed to the package inner area 11, and a linear easily broken part 38 provided with the fixing part 37 that is separable from the package outer area 12. In a half-opened state, the fixing part 37 is broken on the easily broken part 38 and separated from the package outer area 12, and maintains the state of being fixed to the package inner area 11 side. A portion 26 of an absorbent article 20 is exposed from an area 41 where the fixing part 37 in the individual packaging sheet 30 of the package outer area 12 was present.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to individually packaged absorbent articles. [Background technology]

[0002] Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and light incontinence pads are generally individually packaged folded in thirds lengthwise. In recent years, however, compact, easy-to-carry absorbent articles have been developed by folding the individually packaged sheet inward in the width direction and then folding it lengthwise.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a sanitary napkin individually packaged in a packaging sheet. A tag tape is provided at approximately the center of the short side edge on the outer surface side of the packaging sheet. At the short side edge side (the side where the tag tape is attached) of the packaging sheet, a notch is formed by cutting out the corner where the long side edge and the short side edge intersect. When both side portions of the long side edge of the packaging sheet are folded in order towards the liquid-permeable top sheet side of the absorbent article, a part of the napkin is exposed to the outside through an opening formed by the notch formed in the packaging sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-340970 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An individual absorbent article package that is compactly folded by folding an individual packaging sheet in thirds in the width direction and then in thirds in the lengthwise direction requires more processes to open and more effort to remove the absorbent article than a normal individual absorbent article package that is folded in thirds only in the lengthwise direction.

[0006] To solve such problems, in the package (individual absorbent article package) for sanitary napkins (absorbent articles) described in Patent Document 1, a cutout is formed at the corner where the long side edge and the short side edge of the packaging sheet for the absorbent article intersect, and when both sides of the long side edge of the packaging sheet are folded, a part of the absorbent article is exposed to the outside from the cutout. The part of the absorbent article exposed to the outside from the cutout can be picked up with fingers and pulled off from the packaging sheet, making it possible to easily remove the absorbent article from the packaging sheet.

[0007] However, in the individual absorbent article package described in Patent Document 1, both sides of the long side edge of the packaging sheet are folded during manufacturing, and then both sides of the short side edge of the packaging sheet are folded in a state where part of the absorbent article is exposed, increasing the risk of foreign matter being mixed into the absorbent article during manufacturing.In addition, the corners of the packaging sheet are cut out during manufacturing, and the removed corners are discarded, resulting in a large amount of material waste.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an individually packaged absorbent article from which the absorbent article can be easily removed even when individually packaged compactly, and from which hygiene during production can be ensured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides an individual absorbent article package comprising an absorbent article and an individual packaging sheet for packaging the absorbent article, wherein sheet outer regions on both sides in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet are folded inward in the width direction to cover the absorbent article and folded in thirds, and both longitudinal sides of the absorbent article and the individual packaging sheet are both folded inward in the longitudinal direction to be folded in thirds, and the longitudinally folded regions on both sides folded inward in the longitudinal direction are each a package inner region located on the inner side in the thickness direction and a package outer region overlapping the package inner region from the outer side in the thickness direction. and at least one of the sheet outer regions of the individual packaging sheets in the package outer region has a fixing portion that includes a corner of the individual packaging sheet and is fixed to the package inner region, and a linear easy-to-break portion that allows the fixing portion to be separated from the package outer region, and when the package outer region is spread out in a half-opened state, the fixing portion is broken at the easy-to-break portion and separated from the package outer region, maintaining a fixed state toward the package inner region, and a part of the absorbent article is exposed from the region of the individual packaging sheet in the package outer region where the fixing portion was present.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is an individually packaged absorbent article of the first aspect described above, wherein the shape of the fixing portion of the sheet outer region is triangular, and the easily breakable portion of the sheet outer region is arranged to be the opposite side of the corner of the individually packaged sheet of the fixing portion.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body of the second aspect described above, wherein the length of the side extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing part in the sheet outer region is 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and the longitudinal length of a part of the absorbent article exposed from the area of ​​the individually packaging sheet in the package outer region where the fixing part was present in the semi-opened state is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the easily-tearable portions in the sheet outer region are perforations in which pre-cut cut portions and uncut portions are arranged alternately, the length of the cut portions is 0.5 mm or more and 6 mm or less, the length of the uncut portions is 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less, and the total length of the cut portions is 1 to 3 times the total length of the uncut portions.

[0013] A fifth aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article package according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the absorbent article has a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body arranged between the top sheet and the back sheet, and the absorbent body of the absorbent article does not contain fluff pulp and is an SAP sheet in which a superabsorbent polymer is fixed between two or more hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics with a hot melt adhesive.

[0014] A sixth aspect of the present invention is the individual absorbent article package according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the absorbent article has standing gathers on both sides in the width direction.

[0015] A seventh aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the longitudinal length of the absorbent article is 140 mm or more and 400 mm or less, and the width direction length of the absorbent article is 50 mm or more and 180 mm or less.

[0016] An eighth aspect of the present invention is an individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the individually packaged sheet is a polyethylene film silicone-coated on at least one side, and an adhesive layer applied with a hot melt adhesive for preventing slippage is provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent article, and the absorbent article is releasably adhered to the silicone-coated side of the individually packaged sheet by the adhesive layer.

[0017] A ninth aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body according to any one of the first to third aspects described above, wherein the individual packaging sheet on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the inner region of the packaging body and the outer region of the packaging body is provided with a design display portion that allows the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article when the packaging body is in the semi-opened state. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an individually packaged absorbent article from which the absorbent article can be easily removed even when individually packaged compactly, and which ensures hygiene during production. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an individual package of absorbent articles according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of the packaged absorbent article in an unpackaged state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a process for individually packaging absorbent articles. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an individual absorbent article package in a partially opened state. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a modified individual absorbent article package in a partially opened state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an individual absorbent article package 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] In this specification, wearing an absorbent article means a state in which the absorbent article is worn, regardless of whether the absorbent article is worn before, during, or after the absorption of bodily fluids (urine). The longitudinal direction means the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, which is a direction from the abdomen side of the wearer to the crotch when the absorbent article is worn, and is the direction along the arrow X in the figure. The inner side of the longitudinal direction means a direction toward the center in the longitudinal direction, and the outer side of the longitudinal direction means a direction away from the center in the longitudinal direction. The width direction means a short side direction of the absorbent article, which is a direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the longitudinal direction, and is the direction along the arrow Y in the figure. The inner side of the width direction means a direction toward the center in the width direction, and the outer side of the width direction means a direction away from the center in the width direction. The thickness direction means a direction in which each component is layered, and is the direction along the arrow Z in the figure. In addition, the "skin side" refers to the direction toward the wearer's body when the absorbent article is worn in the thickness direction, and is the direction indicated by the arrow Z in the figure. In addition, the "non-skin side" refers to the direction opposite to the skin side in the thickness direction, and is the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow Z in the figure. In addition, the left-right direction refers to the left-right direction as seen from the wearer facing forward when wearing the absorbent article. Body fluids refer to liquids discharged from the body to the outside, such as urine, blood, and water in loose stools.

[0022] [Individually packaged absorbent articles] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an individual absorbent article package according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of the package in an unpackaged state. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of perforations. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of individually packaging absorbent articles. FIG. 5 is a plan view of an individual absorbent article package in a partially opened state. FIG. 6 is a plan view of an individual absorbent article package in a partially opened state, showing a modified example. Note that each diagram does not stipulate the size relationship of the dimensions of the components of the individual absorbent article package, and the dimensions of each component can be appropriately selected from a wide range depending on the purpose of the absorbent article, the age of the intended wearer, etc.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 according to the present embodiment includes an absorbent article 20 and an individual packaging sheet 30 that individually packages the absorbent article 20. The individual absorbent article packaging body 10 is folded from the unpackaged state shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, so that the absorbent article 20 is individually packaged with the individual packaging sheet 30. Specifically, from the unpackaged state, the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded in thirds along the dashed line x1 shown in Fig. 4(a) and the dashed line x2 shown in Fig. 4(b), and then the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded in thirds along the dashed line x3 shown in Fig. 4(c) and the dashed line x4 shown in Fig. 4(d). Details of the folding method will be described later.

[0024] [Absorbent articles] 1 and 2, the absorbent article 20 can be used as various absorbent articles for babies, adults, and the elderly, among which are pad products such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, vaginal discharge sheets, light incontinence pads, light incontinence liners, urine absorption pads, etc. The shape of the absorbent article 20 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include an hourglass shape, a substantially rectangular shape, an oval shape, and the like.

[0025] (Absorbent article dimensions) The length L1 in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 20 is preferably 140 mm or more and 400 mm or less. The length W1 in the width direction of the absorbent article 20 is preferably 50 mm or more and 180 mm or less. By setting each dimension within the above numerical range, an absorbent article 20 suitable for pad products such as light incontinence products, sanitary napkins, and panty liners can be obtained.

[0026] The absorbent article 20 has a liquid-permeable top sheet 21, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 22, and an absorbent body 23 disposed between the top sheet 21 and the back sheet 22. In addition to these, the absorbent article 20 of this embodiment has left and right three-dimensional gathers 24 on both sides in the width direction. The absorbent article 20 may have other configurations in addition to the above. Examples of the other configurations include a second sheet or transfer sheet disposed between the top sheet 21 and the absorbent body 23, a carrier sheet that wraps the absorbent body 23, and the like.

[0027] (Top sheet) The top sheet 21 is disposed opposite the back sheet 22 with the absorbent body 23 sandwiched therebetween. The top sheet 21 is a liquid-permeable sheet-like member, and may be formed from a substrate having liquid permeability such that bodily fluids move to the absorbent body 23. Examples of substrates include hydrophilic sheets, composite nonwoven fabrics that are laminates of the same or different hydrophilic sheets, open-ended films such as open-ended polyethylene films, and foamed films such as polyethylene foam and urethane foam. Examples of hydrophilic sheets include air-through nonwoven fabrics, thermal bond nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, spunbond nonwoven fabrics, and the like, which contain one or more types of synthetic fibers made of synthetic resins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, regenerated fibers such as rayon, and natural fibers such as cotton.

[0028] From the viewpoint of improving liquid permeability, the surface of the top sheet 21 may be embossed or perforated according to a known method. From the viewpoint of reducing irritation to the skin, the top sheet 21 may contain one or more of lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory ingredients, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, moisturizers, etc. The shape of the top sheet 21 is not particularly limited, and may be any shape that covers a part or all of the absorbent body 23, which is necessary to guide bodily fluids to the absorbent body 23 without leakage.

[0029] (Back seat) The back sheet 22 may be formed using a liquid-impermeable substrate so that the body fluid held by the absorber 23 does not leak to the non-skin side, and is formed from a material such as a resin film or a composite sheet in which a resin film and a nonwoven fabric are laminated. The nonwoven fabric used in the composite sheet is not particularly limited in its manufacturing method, and examples thereof include composite nonwoven fabrics in which multiple nonwoven fabrics of the same type and / or different types are laminated, such as spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric / meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric / meltblown nonwoven fabric / spunbond nonwoven fabric, and composite materials thereof. Examples of the resin film include films of polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., and composite films of polyethylene and polypropylene.

[0030] It is preferable that the back sheet 22 has breathability in order to prevent stuffiness during wearing. In order to provide the back sheet 22 with breathability, for example, a filler may be blended into the resin film of the base material, or the back sheet 22 may be embossed. An example of the filler is calcium carbonate, and the blending method may be any known method without limitation. For example, a porous (breathable) resin film can be obtained by kneading a resin and a filler, forming the resulting kneaded product into a film, and removing the filler from the resulting film.

[0031] (Absorbent) Examples of the absorbent 23 include a fluff absorbent containing absorbent fibers as a base material and a superabsorbent polymer (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "SAP") supported on the absorbent fibers, and a SAP sheet in which SAP particles are fixed between liquid absorbent sheets. Among these, it is preferable that the absorbent 23 is a SAP sheet that does not contain fluff pulp and in which SAP is fixed between two or more hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics with a hot melt adhesive.

[0032] The absorbent fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used in absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, paper diapers, and urine pads, and examples thereof include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, etc. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (e.g., bleached coniferous kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine and Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, resin fiber, non-wood pulp, etc. that have been defibrated into a cotton-like state. Examples of the liquid absorbent sheet include sheets composed of one or more of the above absorbent fibers.

[0033] The superabsorbent polymer is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and examples thereof include polyacrylates, polyaspartates, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymers, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymers, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymers, and saponification products thereof. Among these, from the viewpoint of absorption amount per weight, polyacrylates are preferred, polyacrylic acid alkali metal salts are more preferred, and polyacrylate sodium is even more preferred. The superabsorbent polymers can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0034] In the absorbent body 23, the absorbent fibers and SAP may be in the form of a mixture of SAP particles in the absorbent fibers, or SAP particles may be fixed between the absorbent fibers.

[0035] (3D gathers) The left and right three-dimensional gathers 24 are fixed to the skin side of the top sheet 21 along the longitudinal direction near both ends in the width direction of the absorbent article 20 in order to prevent, for example, lateral leakage of bodily fluids. The three-dimensional gathers 24 include a water-repellent and / or waterproof sheet member 24a and an elastic stretchable member 24b. Although the three-dimensional gathers 24 are provided in this embodiment, they may not be provided.

[0036] The sheet member 24a is a water-repellent and / or waterproof sheet, and is made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric. As the nonwoven fabric for the sheet member 24a, any water-repellent and / or waterproof (liquid-impermeable) nonwoven fabric made of hydrophobic fibers can be used without any particular limitation, and examples thereof include spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, and composite nonwoven fabric (SMS nonwoven fabric) which is a spunbond nonwoven fabric / meltblown nonwoven fabric / spunbond nonwoven fabric laminate. The outer ends (fixed ends) of the sheet member 24a in the width direction are fixed near both ends in the width direction of the absorbent article 20, and the inner ends in the width direction are free ends having a standing property.

[0037] The elastic stretchable member 24b is disposed in the longitudinal direction near the free end (the other end) of the sheet member 24a, imparting upstanding property to the free end and enabling the free end of the sheet member 24a and its neighboring area to be deformed to fit the wearer's body shape. As the elastic stretchable member 24b, for example, a thread-like, string-like, or band-like member made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, or the like can be appropriately used.

[0038] (Adhesive layer) An adhesive layer 25 for preventing slippage is provided on the non-skin side 20a (the non-skin side of the back sheet 22) of the absorbent article 20. The adhesive layer 25 enables the absorbent article 20 to be attached to an object (for example, underwear) during use.

[0039] The adhesive forming the adhesive layer 25 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a hot melt adhesive such as polyacrylic acid ester, vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, styrene-acrylic copolymer, polyester resin, epoxy resin, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS), styrene block copolymer (SBC), styrene-styrene-isoprene block copolymer (SIS), styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS), etc. These may be used alone or in a blend of two or more.

[0040] [Individually wrapped sheets] 1 and 2, the individual packaging sheet 30 is a sheet-like member for individually packaging the absorbent article 20, and is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view. The length L2 of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length L1 of the absorbent article 20 in the longitudinal direction. The length W2 of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the width direction is longer than the length W1 of the absorbent article 20 in the width direction.

[0041] The material of the individual wrapping sheet 30 is not particularly limited, and various materials can be used, such as nonwoven fabric, resin film, paper sheet with at least a water-repellent surface, etc., but resin film is preferable. Examples of resin films include films of polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., and composite films of polyethylene and polypropylene, etc.

[0042] The individual packaging sheet 30 is preferably a polyethylene film with a silicone coating on the surface 30a (at least one surface) that will be the inside when individually packaged. The absorbent article 20 is releasably attached to the silicone-coated surface 30a of the individual packaging sheet 30 by an adhesive layer 25 provided on the non-skin side surface 20a. Note that the surface 30a that will be the inside when individually packaged may be provided with a release paper without being silicone coated.

[0043] The individual packaging sheet 30 has a sheet central region 31 on the inner side in the width direction where the absorbent articles 20 are mainly placed, and left and right sheet outer regions 32a, 32b located on both sides of the sheet central region 31 in the width direction.

[0044] (Central area of ​​the seat) The sheet central region 31 is a region located in the center in the width direction when the individually wrapped sheet 30 is divided into three in the width direction. For example, the sheet central region 31 is a region on the right side of the dashed line x1 in FIG. 4(a) and on the left side of the dashed line x2 in FIG. 4(b). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the dashed lines x1 and x2 indicating both sides of the sheet central region 31 in the width direction are located outside the edges of the absorbent article 20 in the width direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, the dashed lines x1 and x2 indicating both sides of the sheet central region 31 in the width direction may be located along the edges of the absorbent article 20 in the width direction, or may be located inside the edges of the absorbent article 20 in the width direction (for example, along the edges of the absorbent body 23 in the width direction).

[0045] (Outer seat area) The sheet outer regions 32a, 32b are regions located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet central region 31 when the individually wrapped sheet 30 is divided into three in the width direction, and are regions that are folded inward in the width direction when individually wrapped (the region on the left side of the dashed dotted line x1 in FIG. 4(a) and the region on the right side of the dashed dotted line x2 in FIG. 4(b). The width direction length W4 of the left and right sheet outer regions 32a, 32b is shorter than the width direction length W1 of the absorbent article 20.

[0046] At least one of the left and right sheet outer regions 32a, 32b has a fixed portion 37 including a corner portion 36 of the individual packaging sheet 30, and a linear easy-to-tear portion 38 provided to be able to separate the fixed portion 37. In this embodiment, the fixed portion 37 and the easy-to-tear portion 38 are provided on one side in the longitudinal direction (the side indicated by the arrow in the X direction in the figure) of both the left and right sheet outer regions 32a, 32b.

[0047] (fixed part) 1, the fixing portion 37 of the individual packaging sheet 30 is a region of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b that is surrounded by an edge 39 of the individual packaging sheet 30 extending in the width direction on one longitudinal side, an edge 40 of the individual packaging sheet 30 extending in the longitudinal direction, and an easy-to-break portion 38. When the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded and individually packaged, the fixing portion 37 is fixed to the opposing region (a part of the individual packaging sheet 30) by adhesive 34 (see FIG. 4).

[0048] (Easy-to-break part) The easily breakable portion 38 is an easily cut portion that is provided so as to allow the fixed portion 37 to be separated from other areas of the individually packaging sheet 30, and extends linearly from edge 39 to edge 40 of the individually packaging sheet 30. The easily breakable portion 38 is not limited to being linear, and may be bent or may be a free curve.

[0049] In this embodiment, the easily breakable portion 38 extends in a straight line from the edge 39 to the edge 40 of the individual packaging sheet 30, and the fixing portion 37 is triangular with the corner 36 of the individual packaging sheet 30 as one corner. That is, the easily breakable portion 38 is provided so as to be the opposite side of the triangular fixing portion 37 to the corner 36 of the individual packaging sheet 30. Of the three sides of the triangular fixing portion 37, the length L3 of the side 37a (part of the edge 40) extending in the longitudinal direction is preferably 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less. If the length L3 of the side 37a extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing portion 37 is shorter than 10 mm, the absorbent article 20 is less likely to be exposed when the package is partially opened, as described below. On the other hand, if the length L3 of the side 37a extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing portion 37 is longer than 50 mm, the easily breakable portion 38 may become too long and difficult to open. The shape of the fixing portion 37 is not limited to a triangular shape, and may be, for example, a quadrangular shape that includes the corners 36 of the individual wrapping sheet 30 .

[0050] (Perforation) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the easily breakable portion 38 of the present embodiment is a perforation 50 in which the previously cut cut portion 51 and the uncut portion 52 are alternately arranged. The length L4 of the cut portion 51 (one) is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 6 mm or less, and the length L5 of the uncut portion 52 (one) is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less. By setting the length L4 of the cut portion 51 and the length L5 of the uncut portion 52 within the above range, the individually wrapped sheet 30 can be easily cut regardless of the material. In addition, the total length of the cut portion 51 (length L4 of the cut portion 51 x number of the cut portions 51) is preferably 1 time or more and 3 times or less than the total length of the uncut portion 52 (length L5 of the uncut portion 52 x number of the uncut portions 52). If the total length of the cut portion 51 is shorter than 1 time the total length of the uncut portion 52, it may be difficult to separate the fixed portion 37 when opening the package as described below. On the other hand, if the total length of cut portions 51 is longer than three times the total length of uncut portions 52, there is a risk that perforations 50 will break during the manufacturing process. Note that easily-breakable portions 38 are not limited to perforations 50, and may be, for example, thin portions that are formed thinner than other regions of the individually wrapped sheet 30.

[0051] (How to fold) Next, a folding method for individually packaging the absorbent article 20 with the absorbent article 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4(a) shows a state in which the absorbent article 20 is placed on the individual packaging sheet 30, Fig. 4(b) shows a state in which one side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward, Fig. 4(c) shows a state in which the other side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward, Fig. 4(d) shows a state in which one side in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward, and Fig. 4(e) shows a state in which the other side in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 4(a), in order to individually package the absorbent article 20 in the individual packaging sheet 30 to obtain the individually packaged absorbent article 10 (see Fig. 4(e)), first, the absorbent article 20 is placed in the sheet central region 31 of the individual packaging sheet 30. At this time, in this embodiment, the absorbent article 20 is releasably adhered to the silicone-coated surface 30a of the individual packaging sheet 30 by the adhesive layer 25 (see Fig. 2) provided on the non-skin side 20a. As a result, the non-skin side 20a of the absorbent article 20 is completely covered from the non-skin side by the sheet central region 31 of the individual packaging sheet 30.

[0053] Next, as shown by the outline arrow in FIG. 4(a), the sheet outer region 32a on one side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 (the left side in the figure) is folded inward in the width direction (the right side in the figure). In this embodiment, the sheet outer region 32a on one side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward in the width direction along the longitudinal direction at or near one edge in the width direction of the absorbent article 20 (the position indicated by the dashed line x1 in FIG. 4(a)). In this state, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the sheet outer region 32a on one side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 covers at least a part of the absorbent article 20 from the skin side. As described above, the sheet outer region 32a of the individual packaging sheet 30 may be folded inward in the width direction along the longitudinal direction at a position on the inner side in the width direction of one edge in the width direction of the absorbent article 20 (for example, a position along one edge in the width direction of the absorbent body 23).

[0054] Next, as shown by the outline arrow in Fig. 4(b), the sheet outer region 32b on the other side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 (the right side in the figure) is folded inward in the width direction (the left side in the figure). In this embodiment, the sheet outer region 32b on the other side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded inward in the width direction along the longitudinal direction at the edge on the other side in the width direction of the absorbent article 20 or in the vicinity thereof (the position shown by the dashed line x2 in Fig. 4(b)). In this state, as shown in Fig. 4(c), the sheet outer region 32b on the other side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 overlaps the sheet outer region 32a on one side from the skin side (outside in the thickness direction), and the individual packaging sheet 30 is folded in three in the width direction. That is, the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b on both sides in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded in three by folding inward in the width direction so as to cover the absorbent article 20. As shown in FIG. 4(c), the skin side 20b (see FIG. 4(a)) of the absorbent article 20 is completely covered from the skin side by the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b of the individual packaging sheet 30. A fixing portion 37 is exposed on one side in the longitudinal direction of at least one of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b (in this embodiment, both) of the individual packaging sheet 30. The opposing surfaces of the sheet outer region 32a on one side in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 and the sheet outer region 32b on the other side are bonded to each other by a sealing adhesive 33 (e.g., a hot melt adhesive) applied to at least one of the sheet outer region 32a and the sheet outer region 32b. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the sealing adhesive 33 is applied to the sheet outer region 32a on one side, but it may be applied to the sheet outer region 32b on the other side. As described above, the sheet outer region 32b of the individually packaged sheet 30 may be folded widthwise inward along the longitudinal direction at a position more inward in the width direction than the other widthwise edge of the absorbent article 20 (for example, a position along the other widthwise edge of the absorbent body 23).

[0055] Next, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 4(c), a region 11 (region below the dashed line x3; hereinafter, referred to as the "package inner region 11") on one side (lower side in the figure) of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 in the longitudinal direction is folded inward in the longitudinal direction (upper side in the figure). In this embodiment, the package inner region 11 of the absorbent article individual packaging body 10 is folded inward in the longitudinal direction along the width direction at the position shown by the dashed line x3 in FIG. 4(c). Note that the package inner region 11 refers to the region (region below the dashed line x3 in FIG. 4(c)) that is folded inward in the longitudinal direction first when individually packaging, among the regions on both sides in the longitudinal direction when the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 is divided into three in the longitudinal direction, and is the region opposite to the side on which the fixing part 37 is provided.

[0056] Finally, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 4(d), the region 12 (region above the dashed line x4; hereinafter referred to as the "package outer region 12") on the other side (upper side in the figure) of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 in the longitudinal direction is folded inward in the longitudinal direction (lower side in the figure). In this embodiment, the package outer region 12 of the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 is folded inward in the longitudinal direction along the width direction at the edge of the package inner region 11 or in its vicinity (position shown by the dashed line x4 in FIG. 4(d)). That is, both longitudinal sides of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded inward in the longitudinal direction to be folded in three. The package outer region 12 overlaps the package inner region 11 from the outside in the thickness direction. At this time, the fixing portion 37 of the package outer region 12 and the individual packaging sheet 30 of the package inner region 11 facing the fixing portion 37 are bonded to each other by a sealing adhesive 34 (e.g., a hot melt adhesive) applied to at least one of the package outer region 12 and the package inner region 11. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 37 of the package outer region 12 and the individual packaging sheet 30 of the package inner region 11 are bonded to each other by the sealing adhesive 34 applied to the fixing portion 37 (see Figs. 4(c) and 4(d)). Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4(e), the package outer region 12 is bonded to the package inner region 11 and sealed with a sealing tape 35. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4(e), an absorbent article individual package 10 in which the absorbent article 20 is individually packaged with the individual packaging sheet 30 can be obtained. The package outer region 12 is the region on both sides of the longitudinal direction when the individual absorbent article package 10 is divided into three parts, which is folded inward in the longitudinal direction next to the package inner region 11 when individually packaged (the region above the dashed dotted line x4 in FIG. 4(d)), and is the region on the side where the fixing portion 37 is provided. In this embodiment, the sealing adhesive 34 is applied to the fixing portion 37 of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the package outer region 12, but it may also be applied to the individual packaging sheet 30 in the package inner region 11 (for example, the position indicated by the dashed dotted line 34a in FIG. 4(d)).

[0057] That is, as described above, the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 shown in Fig. 4(e) is folded in three by folding the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b on both sides in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 inward in the width direction so as to cover the entire area of ​​the absorbent article 20, and also folding both longitudinal sides of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 inward in the longitudinal direction so as to be folded in three. In addition, the longitudinal side regions of the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 that are folded inward in the longitudinal direction include a packaging body inner region 11 located on the inner side in the thickness direction, and a packaging body outer region 12 that overlaps the packaging body inner region 11 from the outside in the thickness direction. In addition, at least one of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the packaging outer region 12 has a fixed portion 37 that includes a corner 36 of the individual packaging sheet 30 and is fixed to the packaging inner region 11, and a linear easily-breakable portion 38 that is provided so that the fixed portion 37 can be separated from the packaging outer region 12.

[0058] (How to use) Next, the operation of removing the absorbent article 20 from the individual absorbent article package 10 when using the absorbent article 20 will be described.

[0059] When the absorbent article 20 is removed from the absorbent article individual package 10, first, the sealing tape 35 is peeled off, and the package outer region 12 is spread outward in the longitudinal direction as shown by the outline arrow in FIG. 5 to create a half-open state (the state shown in FIG. 5). The half-open state refers to a state in which the package outer region 12 is spread outward in the longitudinal direction from the sealed state, and the package inner region 11 is not spread. As shown in FIG. 5, when the absorbent article individual package 10 is put into the half-open state, the fixing portion 37 of the individual package sheet 30 is cut off from the individual package sheet 30 of the package outer region 12 along the easy-to-break portion 38 while remaining fixed to the package inner region 11 side. That is, in the half-open state in which the package outer region 12 is spread, the fixing portion 37 is broken at the easy-to-break portion 38 and separated from the package outer region 12, and maintains a state of being fixed to the package inner region 11 side. In the half-opened state, a part (hereinafter referred to as the "exposed portion") 26 of the absorbent article 20 is exposed from a region 41 (region 41 surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 5) of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the package outer region 12 where the fixed portion 37 was present. With the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 in the half-opened state, a user can easily peel off the absorbent article 20 from the individual packaging sheet 30, take it out, and use it by pinching the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 with fingers and pulling it to the other side in the longitudinal direction (the lower side in FIG. 5). After the half-opened state, the package inner region 11 may be spread outward in the longitudinal direction, and then the absorbent article 20 may be taken out by pinching the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 with fingers and pulling it to the other side in the longitudinal direction.

[0060] (Exposed parts of absorbent articles) The longitudinal length L6 of the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is preferably 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less. If the longitudinal length L6 of the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is shorter than 5 mm, it becomes difficult to pinch the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 when removing the absorbent article 20. On the other hand, if the longitudinal length L6 of the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is longer than 40 mm, it is necessary to increase the longitudinal length of the fixing portion 37, which may result in the easily breakable portion 38 becoming too long and making it difficult to open.

[0061] The area of ​​the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is 35 mm2 More than 1000mm 2 It is preferable that the area of ​​the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is 35 mm 2 If the area of ​​the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 is smaller than 1000 mm2, it becomes difficult to pinch the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 when removing the absorbent article 20. 2 If it is larger than this, the length of the fixing part 37 in the longitudinal direction must be increased, and the easily breakable part 38 may become too long, making it difficult to open.

[0062] (Design display section) As shown in FIG. 5, a design display section 42 may be provided to allow the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article 20 when the package is in a half-opened state. The design display section 42 is a section on which a design is displayed to allow the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article 20. The design display section 42 is provided on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the package inner region 11 and the package outer region 12 (the opposing surface of the package outer region 12 in this embodiment) of the individual packaging sheet 30. When the design display section 42 is provided on the opposing surface of the package outer region 12 as in this embodiment, the design display section 42 is provided in an area other than the fixing section 37. The design displayed on the design display section 42 is not particularly limited as long as it allows the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article 20, and may be, for example, letters, figures, symbols, patterns, or a combination of at least two of these. The design that allows the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article 20 is a design that allows the user to recognize that the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 should be pinched and pulled to the other side in the longitudinal direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the design display section 42 is provided, but the design display section 42 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0063] In the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 configured as described above, the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b on both sides in the width direction of the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded inward in the width direction to cover the absorbent article 20, and both sides in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 20 and the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded inward in the longitudinal direction to be folded in thirds. That is, in the individual absorbent article packaging body 10, the absorbent article 20 is individually packaged compactly by the individual packaging sheet 30.

[0064] At least one of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b of the package outer region 12 has a fixing portion 37 which includes a corner 36 of the individual packaging sheet 30 and is fixed to the package inner region 11, and a linear easy-to-tear portion 38 which is provided so that the fixing portion 37 can be separated from the package outer region 12. As a result, when the package is placed in a semi-open state, the fixing portion 37 is broken at the easy-to-tear portion 38 and separated from the package outer region 12, and maintains a state in which it is fixed to the package inner region 11. In the semi-open state, a part of the absorbent article 20 (exposed portion 26) is exposed from a region 41 of the individual packaging sheet 30 in the package outer region 12 where the fixing portion 37 was present.

[0065] Therefore, when removing the absorbent article 20 from the individual absorbent article packaging body 10, the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 can be placed in a semi-open state, whereby the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20 can be pinched and the absorbent article 20 can be easily removed.

[0066] Furthermore, the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b on both widthwise sides of the individual packaging sheet 30 are folded inward in the widthwise direction into three to cover the absorbent article 20. In this way, the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b of the individual packaging sheet 30 completely cover the skin side surface 20b of the absorbent article 20 from the skin side when the absorbent article 20 is individually packaged (see FIG. 4(c)), so that hygiene during the production of the individually packaged absorbent article 10 can be ensured.

[0067] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an individually packaged absorbent article 10 that allows the absorbent article 20 to be easily removed even when individually packaged compactly, and that ensures hygiene during production.

[0068] Furthermore, by forming the fixing parts 37 of the sheet outer regions 32a and 32b in a triangular shape, the easily breakable parts 38 can be provided in a straight line at the position opposite the corner 36 of the fixing parts 37. Since the easily breakable parts 38 can be provided in a straight line in this way, unlike when the easily breakable parts 38 are bent, the easily breakable parts 38 can be more easily broken when the package is put into a half-open state.

[0069] In addition, by making the absorbent body 23 of the absorbent article 20 a SAP sheet that does not contain fluff pulp and has SAP fixed between two or more hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics with a hot melt adhesive, the individual absorbent article packaging body 10 can be made more compact.

[0070] Furthermore, by applying a silicone coating to at least one surface of the individual packaging sheet 30 and releasably adhering the adhesive layer 25 of the absorbent article 20 to the silicone-coated surface, it is not necessary to provide a release paper on the individual packaging sheet 30 side. This makes it possible to make the absorbent article individual package 10 more compact.

[0071] Furthermore, by providing the individual packaging sheet 30 on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the package inner region 11 and the package outer region 12 with a design display section 42 that indicates how to remove the absorbent article 20, the user can be made aware of how to remove the absorbent article 20. Therefore, after the package is in a half-opened state, the user can easily remove the absorbent article 20 by pinching the exposed portion 26 of the absorbent article 20.

[0072] In this embodiment, the fixing portion 37 and the easy-to-break portion 38 are provided in both the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b on both sides in the width direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be provided in at least one of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the fixing portion 37 and the easy-to-break portion 38 may be provided only in the sheet outer region 32a, 32b on both sides in the width direction that is to be folded later when individually packaged (the sheet outer region 32b on the right side in Fig. 6). In this case, when the sheet outer region 32a on one side and the sheet outer region 32b on the other side are bonded to each other when individually packaged, the fixing portion 37 of the sheet outer region 32b on the other side is not fixed to the sheet outer region 32a on one side. When the fixing portion 37 and the easily-breakable portion 38 are provided on only one of the sheet outer regions 32a, 32b, the fixing portion 37 and the easily-breakable portion 38 may be provided only on the portion that is folded first when individually packaged. However, from the viewpoint of the ease with which the easily-breakable portion 38 breaks when the package is put into a semi-open state, it is preferable to provide them only on the portion that is folded later.

[0073] Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Individually packaged absorbent articles 11: Inner area of ​​the package 12: Outer area of ​​the package 20: Absorbent articles 21: Top sheet 22: Back seat 23: Absorbent 24: Three-dimensional gathers 25:Adhesive layer 30: Individually wrapped sheets 32a, 32b: Seat outer area 36: Corner 37: Fixed part 38:Easy-to-break part 42: Design display section 50: Perforation 51: Cutting section 52:Uncut part

Claims

1. An individually packaged absorbent article comprising an absorbent article and an individually packaged sheet for packaging the absorbent article, wherein outer regions on both sides in the width direction of the individually packaged sheet are folded inward in the width direction to cover the absorbent article, thereby folding the sheet in thirds, and both sides in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and the individually packaged sheet are both folded inward in the longitudinal direction to folding the sheet in thirds, The regions on both sides in the longitudinal direction that are folded inward in the longitudinal direction include a package inner region located on the inner side in the thickness direction, and a package outer region that overlaps the package inner region from the outside in the thickness direction, At least one of the sheet outer regions of the individual wrapping sheets in the wrapping body outer region has a fixing portion that includes a corner of the individual wrapping sheet and is fixed to the wrapping body inner region, and a linear easy-to-tear portion that is provided so as to be able to separate the fixing portion from the wrapping body outer region, In a half-opened state in which the outer region of the package is expanded, the fixing portion is broken at the easily breaking portion, separated from the outer region of the package, and maintains a state in which it is fixed to the inner region of the package, and a part of the absorbent article is exposed from a region of the individual packaging sheet in the outer region of the package where the fixing portion was present. An individually packaged absorbent article.

2. The fixing portion in the seat outer region has a triangular shape, The easily breakable portion in the sheet outer region is provided to be an opposite side to the corner of the individual packaging sheet of the fixed portion.

2. The individually packaged absorbent article according to claim 1.

3. A length of a side extending in a longitudinal direction of the fixing portion in the seat outer region is 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, In the half-opened state, a length in a longitudinal direction of a part of the absorbent article exposed from a region of the individual packaging sheet in the outer region of the package where the fixing portion was present is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

3. The individually packaged absorbent article according to claim 2.

4. The easily breakable portion of the sheet outer region is a perforation in which pre-cut cut portions and uncut portions are arranged alternately, The length of the cut portion is 0.5 mm or more and 6 mm or less, The length of the uncut portion is 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less, The total length of the cut portions is equal to or greater than 1 time and equal to or less than 3 times the total length of the uncut portions. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The absorbent article has a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, The absorbent body of the absorbent article does not contain fluff pulp and is an SAP sheet in which a highly absorbent polymer is fixed between two or more hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics with a hot melt adhesive. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The absorbent article has three-dimensional gathers on both sides in the width direction. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The length of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction is 140 mm or more and 400 mm or less, The length of the absorbent article in the width direction is 50 mm or more and 180 mm or less. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. The individual packaging sheet is a polyethylene film having at least one surface coated with silicone, The absorbent article has an adhesive layer coated with a hot melt adhesive on a non-skin side thereof for preventing slippage; The absorbent article is releasably adhered to the silicone-coated surface of the individually wrapped sheet by the adhesive layer. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The individual packaging sheet on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the inner packaging region and the outer packaging region is provided with a design display portion that allows the user to recognize how to remove the absorbent article when the package is in the half-opened state. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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