hygiene products

Abstract

To provide a sanitary product that can fix a skin care solution to the contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, thereby improving the skin care effect of the solution. [Solution] A sanitary product worn by a wearer, comprising a sheet material having a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, wherein the sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, wherein a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface, and the sheet material has a second sheet material laminated on the non-contact surface located opposite the contact surface, wherein the second sheet material comprises at least one of the first fiber and the second fiber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to sanitary products.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are known sanitary products in which a chemical solution for skin care is applied to the contact surface that contacts the skin of the wearer (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] ] By the way, in conventional sanitary products, when a chemical solution is applied to the contact surface, the chemical solution passes through the gaps between the fibers, making it difficult to fix the chemical solution on the contact surface. Therefore, there is a problem that the skin care effect of the chemical solution is reduced.

[0005] The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sanitary product capable of fixing a chemical solution for skin care on the contact surface that contacts the skin of the wearer and improving the skin care effect of the chemical solution.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a sanitary product worn by a wearer, comprising a sheet material having a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, wherein the sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface, and the sheet material is laminated with a second sheet material on the non-contact surface located opposite the contact surface, wherein the second sheet material comprises at least one of the first fiber and the second fiber. Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a sanitary product to be worn by a wearer, comprising a sheet material having a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, wherein the sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, wherein a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface, and the first and second fibers are configured to have a single filament fineness of 2 dtex or less. Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a sanitary product to be worn by a wearer, comprising a sheet material having a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, wherein the sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on the fiber surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, wherein a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface, and comprises a surface material having the sheet material and facing the wearer, and an absorbent member disposed on the non-skin side of the surface material and absorbing the wearer's bodily fluids, wherein the surface material is bonded to the absorbent member via an adhesive uniformly applied between the surface material and the absorbent member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] As a result, the sanitary product of the present invention can fix a skin care solution to the contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, thereby improving the skin care effect of the solution. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the sanitary products of Example 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of the sanitary product of Example 1. [Figure 3] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the first example of a fiber with a modified cross-section, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the second example of a fiber with a modified cross-section. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of crimped fiber. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of heat-shrinkable fiber. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the fiber surface of various types of fibers. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the heat embossing pattern on the sanitary product of Example 1. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing the first example of the adhesive application pattern for the sanitary product in Example 1. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing a second example of the adhesive application pattern for the sanitary product in Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments for implementing the sanitary product of the present invention will be described based on Example 1 shown in the drawings. The sanitary product of the present invention is applicable to absorbent articles that can absorb the wearer's bodily fluids, such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, incontinence pads, medical pads, and disposable diapers. The sanitary product of the present invention may also be applied to masks that cover the wearer's nose and mouth and block droplets. Example 1 describes a sanitary product 1 applied to a sanitary napkin that is attached to underwear and used to absorb bodily fluids (menstrual blood and vaginal discharge).

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the hygiene product 1 of Example 1 includes a surface sheet 10 (surface material), an absorbent member 20, and a back sheet 30.

[0011] The surface sheet 10 is a thin film member having liquid permeability that allows body fluids to quickly permeate. The surface sheet 10 has a contact surface 10a that contacts the wearer's skin S when the hygiene product 1 is in use.

[0012] The absorbent member 20 is disposed between the surface sheet 10 and the back sheet 30 and absorbs the body fluid that has permeated through the surface sheet 10. The absorbent member 20 is formed by laminating cotton-like pulp, absorbent paper, superabsorbent polymer, etc. The superabsorbent polymer has a function of quickly absorbing 50 to 100 times its own weight of liquid and gelling and holding the absorbed liquid.

[0013] The back sheet 30 is a thin film member having liquid impermeability that restricts leakage of body fluids. The back sheet 30 is laminated with the absorbent member 20 to cover the back side of the absorbent member 20 and contacts the underwear P when the hygiene product 1 is in use. Also, the peripheral edge of the back sheet 30 is joined to the peripheral edge of the surface sheet 10 by an adhesive such as hot melt or an adhesion means such as heat sealing. Further, a displacement-preventing adhesive (not shown) for fixing the hygiene product 1 to the underwear P is provided on the outer surface 30a of the back sheet 30 that contacts the underwear P.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the surface sheet 10 of Example 1 is composed of a first sheet 11 (sheet material) and a second sheet 12 (second sheet material) that overlaps the first sheet 11, and has a so-called two-layer structure.

[0015] The first sheet 11 is disposed on the front side (skin S side) of the surface sheet 10 and has a contact surface 10a that contacts the skin S. A chemical solution 40 for skin care (see FIG. 2) is applied to the contact surface 10a, and a chemical solution layer is formed on the surface of the contact surface 10a. Here, the chemical solution 40 is evenly applied to substantially the entire surface of the contact surface 10a.

[0016] The chemical solution 40 contains components such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, for example. Further, the skin care effects of the chemical solution 40 include, for example, moisturizing of the skin S, reduction of friction generated between the sanitary product 1 and the skin S, and improvement of the barrier function of the skin S. Then, the chemical solution 40 is applied to the contact surface 10a of the first sheet 11 by, for example, a non-contact coating method by spraying or a contact coating method by printing (transfer).

[0017] The second sheet 12 is laminated on the non-contact surface 10b of the first sheet 11 located on the opposite side of the contact surface 10a. That is, the second sheet 12 is disposed on the back side (absorbent member 20 side) of the surface sheet 10.

[0018] The first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are each formed of a non-woven fabric including at least one of first fibers containing a hydrophilic resin and second fibers having a surface area increasing structure on the fiber surface.

[0019] Here, the first fibers are formed by kneading a hydrophilic resin into the interior of hydrophobic synthetic fibers. The first fibers absorb moisture in the air by containing the hydrophilic resin and form a water film on the surface of the hydrophobic synthetic fibers. Further, the first fibers can diffuse electricity with the water film formed by the hydrophilic resin and reduce the generation of static electricity. Note that the hydrophilic resin may be contained in the first fibers by being adhered to the surface of the hydrophobic synthetic fibers by spraying, coating, or the like.

[0020] Furthermore, the "surface area increasing structure" of the second fiber is a structure that increases (enlarges) the surface area compared to a fiber with a smooth surface and a circular cross-sectional contour. Examples include irregularities, undulations, curls, and scale-like patterns formed on the fiber surface. The second fiber, by having a surface area increasing structure, has an irregular cross-sectional contour. Specifically, the second fiber can be a specially shaped fiber, crimped fiber, heat-shrinkable fiber, or natural fiber. Specially shaped fibers are synthetic fibers formed in a special shape other than a circle (triangular, star-shaped, Y-shaped, hollow, flower-shaped, etc.), as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b). Crimped fibers are fibers that are not straight but are crimped and deformed, as shown in Figure 4. Crimped fibers may be natural fibers that exhibit crimp, such as wool, or synthetic fibers to which crimp has been added by false twisting (woolly processing). Heat-shrinkable fibers, as shown in Figure 5, are synthetic fibers that are not linear but shrink due to heat processing. Natural fibers are fibers whose main raw material is natural material and are broadly classified into "plant fibers" and "animal fibers." Examples of "plant fibers" include flax (Sample 1 shown in Figure 6) and cotton (Sample 2). Examples of "animal fibers" include silk (Sample 3 shown in Figure 6) and wool (Lincoln breed: Sample 4, Merino breed: Sample 5). Fibers like Samples 1 to 5 have irregularities, undulations, curls, and scale-like patterns on their fiber surface compared to general synthetic fibers like Sample 6 (polyester) shown in Figure 6, and are second fibers with an increased surface area structure. The second fiber may also be a fiber that possesses both the characteristics of a crimped fiber and a deformed cross-section fiber, such as a deformed crimp fiber.

[0021] Furthermore, the first and second fibers contained in the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are both set to have a single-fiber fineness of 2 dtex (decitex) or less. Because the single-fiber fineness is 2 dtex or less, the first and second fibers are finer than typical clothing fibers with a single-fiber fineness of around 3.33 dtex (3 denier).

[0022] Furthermore, the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are preferably formed by thermal bonding, spunbonding, meltblowing, or the like. The weight per unit area of ​​the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 is preferably about 10 to 40 gsm. Additionally, the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 may be formed from the same material or from different materials.

[0023] Furthermore, the first sheet 11 in Example 1 is pressed onto the second sheet 12 by heat embossing, and the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are joined together. In Example 1, heat embossing is applied evenly to the entire surface of the first sheet 11, and the heat embossing pressing pattern 41 is formed on the entire surface of the first sheet 11. The "pressure pattern" refers to the area where the fibers are compressed and indented by the heat and pressure of the heat embossing.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the crimping pattern 41 has a circular shape with a diameter r of 1 mm or more and a length of 5 mm or less in a plan view. In addition, the spacing W between adjacent crimping patterns 41 is set to 5 mm or less.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the surface sheet 10 of Example 1 is bonded to the absorbent member 20 via an adhesive 42 uniformly applied between the surface sheet 10 and the absorbent member 20. Here, the adhesive 42 is applied by a curtain spray method, where it is discharged linearly (fibrously) from a single minute discharge port, or simultaneously discharged linearly (overall in a curtain-like shape of a predetermined width) from multiple minute discharge ports arranged in a certain direction, as schematically shown in Figure 8. The application pattern T of the adhesive 42 by the curtain spray method exhibits a randomly oriented fibrous shape in a plan view, as shown in an enlarged view in Figure 8.

[0026] The adhesive 42 may also be applied by a slot coating method, for example, by discharging it from an elongated outlet formed in a certain direction, as schematically shown in Figure 9, and applying the adhesive 42 in a strip of predetermined width. In the slot coating method, there are two methods: applying the adhesive 42 on a roll R (see Figure 9) and applying the adhesive 42 using tension between rolls (not shown). In either method, the adhesive 42 can be applied continuously or intermittently, as shown in an enlarged view in Figure 9.

[0027] Next, the effects and benefits of hygiene product 1 in Example 1 will be explained.

[0028] The hygiene product 1 of Example 1 includes a first sheet 11, the surface sheet 10 facing the wearer when worn, which has a contact surface 10a that comes into contact with the wearer's skin S. A skin care solution 40 is applied to the contact surface 10a of the first sheet 11. Furthermore, the first sheet 11 is formed from a nonwoven fabric containing at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on the fiber surface.

[0029] Here, the first fiber can form a film of water on its surface due to the hydrophilic resin it contains. Therefore, when the first sheet 11 contains the first fiber, the first sheet 11 can form a film of water contained in the drug solution 40 on the contact surface 10a by the first fiber, thereby fixing the drug solution 40 to the contact surface 10a. As a result, the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 can improve the skin care effect of the drug solution 40 and reduce skin stress when wearing the sanitary product 1.

[0030] Furthermore, the second fiber has a surface area increasing structure on its surface. Therefore, when the first sheet 11 contains the second fiber, the first sheet 11 can increase the area to which the chemical solution 40 is applied compared to a sheet material formed of fibers with smooth surfaces, such as general synthetic fibers. As a result, the first sheet 11 can increase the amount of chemical solution applied and increase the amount of chemical solution 40 fixed to the contact surface 10a. In addition, the chemical solution 40 easily entangles in the surface area increasing structure, and the second fiber has a higher retention performance of the chemical solution 40 than fibers with smooth surfaces. As a result, the first sheet 11 containing the second fiber can fix the chemical solution 40 to the contact surface 10a. Thus, the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 can improve the skin care effect of the chemical solution 40 even when the first sheet 11 contains the second fiber.

[0031] Furthermore, in the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, the single-fiber fineness of the first and second fibers contained in the first sheet 11 is set to 2 dtex or less. Therefore, the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 can increase the density of the fiber structure of the first sheet 11. As a result, the chemical solution 40 has difficulty passing through the first sheet 11, and the sanitary product 1 can retain the chemical solution 40 on the contact surface 10a.

[0032] In the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, a second sheet 12 is laminated on the non-contact surface 10b of the first sheet 11, so that the surface sheet 10 has a two-layer structure. The second sheet 12 is formed of a nonwoven fabric that includes at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on the fiber surface. As a result, the sanitary product 1 can suppress the passage of the chemical solution 40 on both the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12, and can improve the fixing performance of the chemical solution 40 on the contact surface 10a.

[0033] Furthermore, in the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, the single filament fineness of the first and second fibers contained in the second sheet 12 is also set to 2 dtex or less. As a result, the density of the fiber structure of the second sheet 12 in the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 can be increased, making it more difficult for the chemical solution 40 to pass through the second sheet 12. Therefore, the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 can further improve the fixing performance of the chemical solution 40 on the contact surface 10a.

[0034] Furthermore, in the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, the first sheet 11 is pressed onto the second sheet 12 by heat embossing. In this case, the pressing pattern 41 formed by heat embossing melts the surface sheet 10 and creates an indentation on the contact surface 10a. Therefore, the chemical solution 40 applied to the contact surface 10a tends to accumulate inside the pressing pattern 41 (indentation on the contact surface 10a).

[0035] In contrast, the crimping pattern 41 of Example 1 has a circular shape with a diameter r of 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less in a plan view. Furthermore, the spacing W between adjacent crimping patterns 41 is set to 5 mm or less. As a result, the sanitary product 1 can form many relatively fine crimping patterns 41 on the contact surface 10a, and by accumulating a large amount of chemical solution 40 within the crimping patterns 41, the fixing performance of the chemical solution 40 on the contact surface 10a can be improved.

[0036] Furthermore, the sanitary product 1 of Example 1 comprises a surface sheet 10 having a first sheet 11 and facing the wearer, and an absorbent member 20 positioned on the non-skin side of the surface sheet 10 to absorb the wearer's bodily fluids. The surface sheet 10 is bonded to the absorbent member 20 via an adhesive 42 uniformly applied between the surface sheet 10 and the absorbent member 20.

[0037] As a result, in the sanitary product 1, the adhesive 42 prevents the chemical solution 40 from passing through the surface sheet 10, and the chemical solution 40 can be fixed to the contact surface 10a. Therefore, the sanitary product 1 can improve the fixing performance of the chemical solution 40 to the surface sheet 10.

[0038] Although the sanitary product 1 of the present invention has been described above based on Example 1, the specific configuration is not limited to Example 1, and changes or additions to the design are permitted as long as they do not depart from the gist of the invention as described in each claim.

[0039] In the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, an example was shown in which the crimping pattern 41 that presses the first sheet 11 onto the second sheet 12 exhibits a circular shape in plan view. However, the shape of the crimping pattern 41 is not limited to a circular shape. For example, the crimping pattern 41 may be rectangular in plan view, with the length of each side set to 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. That is, the crimping pattern 41 may exhibit a rectangular shape with the length of each side being 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less in plan view. Even in this case, the sanitary product 1 can improve the adhesion performance of the chemical solution 40 on the contact surface 10a by accumulating a large amount of chemical solution 40 within the crimping pattern 41.

[0040] Furthermore, in the sanitary product 1, circular and rectangular crimping patterns 41 may be mixed in a plan view. In this case as well, by setting the diameter r and the length of each side to 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and setting the spacing W between adjacent crimping patterns 41 to 5 mm or less, a large amount of chemical solution 40 can be accumulated in the crimping patterns 41, thereby improving the fixing performance of the chemical solution 40.

[0041] In the sanitary product 1 of Example 1, an example was shown in which the first sheet 11 constituting the surface sheet 10 was pressed onto the second sheet 12 by thermal embossing. However, the first sheet 11 may also be bonded to the second sheet 12 via an adhesive uniformly applied between the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12. In this case, the adhesive applied between the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 can suppress the passage of the chemical solution 40 applied to the contact surface 10a, thereby improving the adhesion performance of the chemical solution 40 to the surface sheet 10.

[0042] Furthermore, in the hygiene product 1 of Example 1, an example was shown in which the surface sheet 10 has a two-layer structure composed of a first sheet 11 and a second sheet 12. However, the structure of the surface sheet 10 is not limited to this. The surface sheet 10 only needs to have a first sheet 11 that has a contact surface 10a that comes into contact with the wearer's skin S, and may be a single-layer structure. Also, the surface sheet 10 may have a three-layer or more structure in which sheet material is further laminated on the second sheet 12. In other words, the second sheet 12 does not have to be provided, or it may be made up of multiple sheet materials.

[0043] Furthermore, in Example 1, the hygiene product 1 was shown as being applied to a sanitary napkin (absorbent article) in which an absorbent member 20 capable of absorbing the wearer's bodily fluids is covered with a surface sheet 10. However, the hygiene product 1 may not have an absorbent member 20, such as a mask.

[0044] Furthermore, in the hygiene product 1 of Example 1, an example was shown in which the liquid medicine 40 was applied evenly to almost the entire surface of the contact surface 10a that comes into contact with the wearer's skin S. However, the liquid medicine 40 may be applied to any part of the contact surface 10a, or the amount applied may differ in different parts. In addition, multiple liquid medicines 40 of different types may be applied to the contact surface 10a. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1 Hygiene products 10. Surface sheet (surface material) 10a Contact surface 10b Non-contact surface 11. First sheet (sheet material) 12. Second sheet (second sheet material) 20 Absorbing material 30 Back sheet 40 chemical solutions 41 Crimping Patterns 42 Adhesives

Claims

1. A sanitary product worn by the wearer, The sheet material comprises a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, The sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, and a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface. The aforementioned sheet material has a second sheet material laminated on the non-contact surface located opposite the contact surface. The second sheet material includes at least one of the first fiber and the second fiber. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

2. A sanitary product worn by the wearer, The sheet material comprises a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, The sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, and a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface. The first fiber and the second fiber are set to have a single filament fineness of 2 dtex or less. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

3. In the sanitary product described in claim 2, The aforementioned sheet material has a second sheet material laminated on the non-contact surface located opposite the contact surface. The second sheet material includes at least one of the first fiber and the second fiber. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

4. In the sanitary product described in claim 1 or claim 3, The aforementioned sheet material is pressed onto the second sheet material by thermal embossing. The heat-embossed pressure pattern has a circular shape with a diameter of 1 mm to 5 mm in plan view, or a rectangular shape with sides of 1 mm to 5 mm in plan view. The spacing between adjacent crimping patterns is set to 5 mm or less. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

5. In the sanitary product described in claim 1 or claim 3, The aforementioned sheet material is bonded to the second sheet material via an adhesive uniformly applied between the aforementioned sheet material and the second sheet material. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

6. In a sanitary product described in any one of claims 1 to 5, The system comprises a surface material having the aforementioned sheet material and facing the wearer, and an absorbent member positioned on the non-skin side of the surface material to absorb the wearer's bodily fluids, The surface material is bonded to the absorbent member via an adhesive uniformly applied between the surface material and the absorbent member. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

7. A sanitary product worn by the wearer, The sheet material comprises a contact surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, The sheet material comprises at least one of a first fiber containing a hydrophilic resin inside a hydrophobic synthetic fiber, and a second fiber having a surface area increasing structure on its surface and containing any of a deformed cross-section fiber, a crimped fiber, or a heat-shrinkable fiber, and a hydrophilic skin care liquid is applied to the contact surface, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the contact surface. The system comprises a surface material having the aforementioned sheet material and facing the wearer, and an absorbent member positioned on the non-skin side of the surface material to absorb the wearer's bodily fluids, The surface material is bonded to the absorbent member via an adhesive uniformly applied between the surface material and the absorbent member. A sanitary product characterized by the following features.

Images