Absorbent article and method for manufacturing the absorbent article

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article in which properties of excretion to be held are different in a front body area and a back body area.SOLUTION: An absorbent article is provided with a front body area opposed to a wearer's belly and a back body area opposed to a wearer's back, which is positioned between the front body area and the back body area, and is connected with an inseam area where an absorbent body is arranged. The absorbent article includes a side sheet that rises up from both sides in the width direction of the absorbent body, has liquid impermeability, and biased so as to adhere to a skin surface. The side sheet rises up toward the inside in the width direction in the front body area. The side sheet rises up toward the outside in the width direction in the back body area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article and a method for manufacturing an absorbent article. [Background technology]

[0002] Disposable diapers, urine pads, and the like are known as absorbent articles. The main purpose of these absorbent articles is to prevent feces and urine discharged from the wearer from leaking to the outside. To achieve this purpose, impermeable sheets arranged on both sides in the width direction are pressed against the wearer's skin by elastic threads or the like to prevent side leakage of excrement (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-68949 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, the front part of the absorbent article comes into contact with the wearer's urethral opening, and the rear part of the absorbent article comes into contact with the wearer's anus. While liquid is discharged from the urethral opening, feces excreted from the anus contains components other than liquid, and the properties of these are different. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, an absorbent article is provided in which the shapes of the sheets arranged on both sides in the width direction of the front body and the rear body are different.

[0006] Specifically, the present invention provides an absorbent article having a front body region facing the wearer's abdomen, a rear body region facing the wearer's back, and a crotch region located between the front body region and the rear body region in which an absorbent body is disposed, the absorbent article comprising side sheets which rise from both widthwise sides of the absorbent body, are liquid impermeable, and are biased to adhere to the skin surface, the side sheets rising toward the inside in the widthwise direction in the front body region, and the side sheets rising toward the outside in the widthwise direction in the rear body region.

[0007] The side sheet may be folded inward in the width direction in the portion of the front body region that contacts the wearer's abdomen and adhered to a sheet that is positioned on the skin-facing side of the absorbent, and may be folded outward in the width direction in the portion of the rear body region that contacts the wearer's back and adhered to the side sheet itself.

[0008] The side sheet may rise from the skin facing side of the absorbent body.

[0009] The side sheet may rise from the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body.

[0010] In addition, the manufacturing method of the present invention may include the steps of: adhering an end of one of the longitudinal ends of an absorbent article, in a state in which an absorbent article is processed so that the ends of the side sheets on both sides in the width direction rise outward in the width direction and the absorbent article remains continuous in the longitudinal direction without being cut; cutting the absorbent article individually; orienting the end of the side sheet on the side that is not adhered when cut so that it rises inward in the width direction; and adhering the end of the side sheet on the side that is not adhered when cut.

[0011] In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the ends of the side sheets provided on both sides in the width direction are inward in the width direction. The method may include a step of adhering an end of the side sheet on one side of the longitudinal ends of the absorbent article while the absorbent article is uncut and continuous in the longitudinal direction, a step of cutting the absorbent article individually, a step of orienting the end of the side sheet on the side that is not adhered when cut so that it rises outward in the width direction, and a step of adhering the end of the side sheet on the side that is not adhered when cut.

[0012] In addition, the manufacturing method of the present invention may include a step of adhering an end of one side sheet among the longitudinal ends of the absorbent article, in a state in which the ends of the side sheets on both sides in the width direction are processed to rise inward in the width direction and the absorbent article is continuous in the longitudinal direction without being cut, to a sheet that is to be placed on the skin side of the wearer so as to cover the skin side of the absorbent body, a step of applying adhesive to the skin side of the end of the side sheet at the longitudinal end on the side that is not adhered, a step of folding inward the width direction ends of the entire absorbent article and adhering the ends of the side sheets to which adhesive has been applied, and a step of cutting the absorbent article individually. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly effective absorbent article since it is possible to provide a means for preventing leakage from the width direction that is suited to the properties of feces and urine. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inner pad according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheet is folded inward. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the waist portion of the inner pad in the longitudinal direction when the side seat is folded inward. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheet is folded outward. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the waist portion of the inner pad in the longitudinal direction when the side seat is folded outward. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheets are folded inwards and outwards. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the waist portion of the inner pad in the longitudinal direction when the side seat is folded inward or outward. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an optimal form of the inner pad according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing the inner pad according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another method of manufacturing the inner pad according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the waist part in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad when the standing position is such that the side sheet on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent is inwardly folded. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the waist part in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad when the standing position is such that the side sheet on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent is folded inward or outward. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the waist part in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad when the upright position is such that the side sheet on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent is folded outward. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an absorbent article and a manufacturing process for the absorbent article according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

[0016] In this embodiment, a replaceable inner pad (an example of the "absorbent article" in this application) In the above, the direction connecting the front body arranged opposite the wearer's abdomen and the back body arranged opposite the wearer's back is defined as the longitudinal direction. Between the front body (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the back body (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (the center in the longitudinal direction), the crotch part arranged under the wearer's crotch (opposed to the crotch) is located in a connected manner. Furthermore, when the inner pad is worn by the wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "worn state"), the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is defined as the skin-facing side, and the opposite side to the skin-facing side (the outer side when worn) is defined as the non-skin-facing side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side is defined as the thickness direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is defined as the width direction. In addition, the view from the thickness direction is defined as a planar view.

[0017] In this embodiment, the invention will be described using a replaceable inner pad as an example. The present invention relates to a non-permeable sheet arranged on both sides in the width direction, which is biased by elastic thread or the like (three-dimensional gathers), and can of course also be applied to pants-type diapers and tape-type diapers that have three-dimensional gathers.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. The inner pad 1 has a crotch region 1B corresponding to the crotch covering the pubic area of ​​the wearer when worn, a front body region 1F located in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the front body of the wearer, and a back body region 1R located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the back body of the wearer. A gourd-shaped absorbent body with a narrowed crotch part is incorporated in the front body region 1F, the back body region 1R, and the crotch region 1B, with the crotch region 1B at the center. At the ends of the front body region 1F and the back body region 1R, and in the parts without absorbent body in the short and long directions of the diaper, all the sheets covering the absorbent body are welded with a hot melt adhesive or the like, which prevents the inflow of bodily fluids from non-welded parts and regulates the position of the absorbent body. The inner pad 1 is attached between the undergarment and the skin surface, so that it comes into close contact with the wearer's skin. Furthermore, if this inner pad 1 is attached inside a tape-type diaper or pants-type diaper, the inner pad 1 absorbs bodily fluids, so that even if bodily fluids are discharged, the diaper itself can be reused.

[0019] In addition, the inner pad 1 is provided with an elastic body 2 at a portion (widthwise end portion at the crotch portion) surrounding the wearer's leg circumference (thigh portion) in order to prevent the formation of a gap between the inner pad 1 and the wearer's skin that can be a liquid outflow path. The elastic body 2 extends in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad 1. Another elastic body 3BR, 3BL is attached to the end of the sheet provided on the inner pad 1's skin-facing side in the widthwise direction inside of the elastic body 2, and the sheet stands up by the force of the elastic body 3BR, 3BL when worn, forming three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L. The inner pad 1 conforms to the wearer's body shape by the force of the elastic body 2 functioning as a leg gather, and is in close contact with the wearer's skin surface by the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L that stand up by the force of the elastic body 3BR, 3BL, so that bodily fluids discharged from the wearer are absorbed by the absorbent body of the inner pad 1 without leaking out of the inner pad 1. Note that the elastic members constituting the elastic body 2 and the elastic bodies 3BR, 3BL can be appropriately selected from rubber threads, band-shaped rubber, and the like. Moreover, the elastic bodies 2, 3BR, 3BL may be a plurality of parallel rubber threads.

[0020] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. The inner pad 1 includes side sheets 8R, 8L forming three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L, a top sheet 7, a back sheet 5, an absorbent body 6 with a gourd-shaped crotch portion, and a cover sheet 4 including an elastic body 2, which are layered in order from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side. The absorbent body 6 is not present at the front and rear body ends of the inner pad, and all sheets are bonded. The absorbent body 6 may be rectangular in shape.

[0021] The cover sheet 4 is a sheet used to define the structure of the diaper and improve the wearing comfort. The cover sheet 4 is generally made of a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. The cover sheet 4 is also made of a liquid-permeable material. It may be permeable or liquid-impermeable. In this embodiment, the cover sheet 4 is present, but the back sheet 5 described later may also function as the cover sheet 4, and the cover sheet 4 may be omitted. The back sheet 5 is a sheet formed of a thermoplastic liquid-impermeable resin such as a polyethylene film in order to suppress leakage of bodily fluids. The back sheet 5 may be made of a material that is also moisture-permeable in order to suppress stuffiness when worn.

[0022] The top sheet 7 is arranged on the wearer's skin side so as to cover the water-absorbing surface of the absorbent body 6, and is made of a spunbond nonwoven fabric formed containing thermoplastic resin fibers, an air-through nonwoven fabric, or the like. The top sheet 7 is liquid permeable in part or in whole. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is worn, bodily fluids discharged from the wearer pass through the top sheet 7, which may come into contact with the wearer's skin, into the absorbent body 6, and are absorbed therein. The top sheet 7 may also be hydrophilic. The longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 is the same as the longitudinal directions of the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7.

[0023] The back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 all extend from the front body region 1F to the back body region 1R. Therefore, when the wearer's genitals are covered with the cover sheet 4 in which the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are laminated, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are positioned on the wearer's ventral and dorsal sides.

[0024] The side sheets 8R, 8L are non-water-permeable non-woven fabrics that are moisture-permeable. As described above, the side sheets 8R, 8L are in close contact with the skin as the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L, so that the excreta that come into contact with the side sheets 8R, 8L do not leak any further in the width direction of the inner pad 1, and the moisture contained in the excreta is gradually absorbed by the absorbent body 6. The top sheet 7 is a hydrophilic non-woven fabric that is pleasant to the touch. It directly receives bodily fluids by coming into contact with the skin and gradually absorbs them into the absorbent body 6. It also prevents the backflow of bodily fluids that have already been absorbed by the absorbent body 6. The elastic body 2 is provided at the end of the width direction of the inner pad 1, and the inner pad 1 is urged to conform to the user's body shape by the contraction force of the elastic body 2. In other words, the elastic body 2 functions as a side gather.

[0025] The absorbent body 6 has a structure in which granular absorbent resin (polymer water absorbent) such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), a hydrophilic polymer with a cross-linked structure that can absorb and retain water, is held in the gaps between short fibers of cellulosic fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers, or short fibers that have been hydrophilically treated from synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0026] The SAP particles of this embodiment refer to a resin composition containing SAP in a granular form. The term "SAP-containing resin composition" as used herein includes both a composition consisting of SAP alone and a composition containing SAP as the main component and containing other substances to the extent that they do not adversely affect the water absorption. Examples of "other substances" include additives (such as surface modifiers added to make the particle surface hydrophobic) and unreacted monomers remaining during the synthesis of SAP.

[0027] Although not shown in the figure, the absorbent body 6 is covered with a water-permeable core wrap sheet 9 made of pulp fiber, nonwoven fabric, etc. The core wrap sheet 9 plays a role in preventing the absorbent body 6 from losing its shape and preventing the SAP particles contained in the absorbent body 6 from scattering into other structures.

[0028] When the wearer is lying on their back or face down, the excreted feces and urine spread evenly between the body surface and the top sheet and are gradually absorbed by the absorbent body 6. However, when the wearer is lying on their side, the excreted matter may flow to one side before the absorbent body 6 can completely absorb it. The importance of the gathers 3R, 3L increases. Below, the main shapes of the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L and the regulation of the bending directions of the side sheets 8R, 8L to create those shapes will be explained.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheets are folded inward. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad in Fig. 1 along the line AA. The side sheets 8R, 8L rise from both widthwise sides of the absorbent body 6 and are attached to the skin-facing top sheet 7 of the absorbent body 6 with hot melt HM or the like. Although there is no restriction beyond the attachment position, the ends are biased by elastic members to form three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L. A plurality of elastic bodies 2 are attached between the back sheet 5 and the cover sheet 4 on the outer widthwise side, and the elastic bodies 2 function as leg gathers, biasing the inner pad 1 to fit the wearer's body shape.

[0030] The three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L rise obliquely from the rising position where they are bonded to the top sheet 7 by hot melt HM toward the center in the width direction (turned inward). This leaves a certain space between the rising three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L and the top sheet. When turned inward, the ends of the three-dimensional gathers come into contact with the skin surface almost perpendicularly, so that it is possible to strongly restrict the leakage of excrement in the width direction of the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L. When the excrement generated by the wearer is urine, the excrement flowing in the width direction is sequentially absorbed by the absorbent body 6 while being restricted by the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L that are strongly attached to the skin surface. In this way, when the excrement is urine, the turned inward three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L function effectively.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad longitudinal waist part when the side sheet is folded inward. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad 1 shown in FIG. 1 along the line BB or CC. As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic bodies 3BR, 3BL are not present at the longitudinal ends of the inner pad, so the side sheets 8R, 8L are not biased. At this position, the side sheets 8R, 8L are bonded to the top sheet 7 in the same direction (i.e., widthwise inward) by hot melt HM or the like from the raised positions of the side sheets 8R, 8L beyond the raised positions. In this way, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can be folded inward by defining the folding direction from the longitudinal ends of the side sheets 8R, 8L to the waist part.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheets are folded outward. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad 1 in Fig. 1 at the same position as Fig. 3 (i.e., line AA). The side sheets 8R, 8L rise from both widthwise sides of the absorbent body 6 and are attached to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 with hot melt HM or the like. Although there is no restriction beyond the attachment position, the ends are biased by elastic members to form three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L, and multiple elastic bodies 2 are attached between the back sheet 5 and the cover sheet 4 on the outer widthwise sides to function as leg gathers, as in Fig. 3.

[0033] The side sheets 8R, 8L rise obliquely from the rising position where they are bonded to the top sheet 7 by hot melt HM toward the outside in the width direction to form the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L (turned outward). This increases the area of ​​the region between the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L and the skin surface. In the case of turning outward, the ends of the three-dimensional gathers come into contact with the skin surface in a manner nearly parallel to the skin surface. Therefore, it is difficult to strongly prevent the excrement from leaking in the width direction of the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L, but if the excrement is not something that leaks easily like a liquid, there is an advantage in that a large amount of excrement can be retained by having a large area. If the excrement generated by the wearer is feces, the excrement spreads in the width direction and is contained in the large space created by the top sheet 7 and the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L. In this way, if the excrement is feces, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L turned outward function effectively.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the waist part in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad when the side seat is folded outward. Specifically, this is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad in Fig. 1 at the same position as Fig. 4 (i.e., line BB or CC), and like Fig. 4, no biasing is applied. At this position, the side sheets 8R, 8L are folded back in the width direction immediately after standing up, and are bonded to the side sheets 8R, 8L themselves in front of the standing position with hot melt HM or the like, and fixed toward the outside in the width direction. In this way, by defining the folding direction from the longitudinal end of the side sheets 8R, 8L to the waist area, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can be folded outward.

[0035] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the center of the inner pad when the side sheets are folded inwards and outwards. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad in Fig. 1 at the same position (i.e., line AA) as Fig. 3 and Fig. 5. The side sheets 8R, 8L rise from both widthwise sides of the absorbent body 6 and are attached to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 with hot melt HM or the like. Although there is no restriction beyond the attachment position, the ends are biased by elastic bodies 3BR, 3BL to form three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L, and multiple elastic bodies 2 are attached between the back sheet 5 and the cover sheet 4 on the outer widthwise side, functioning as leg gathers, as in Figs. 3 and 5.

[0036] The side sheets 8R, 8L rise once from the rising position where they are bonded to the top sheet 7 by hot melt HM toward the inside in the width direction, and then bend further toward the outside in the width direction to form pleated three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L (inward-outward inversion). The inward-outward inversion has an intermediate effect between the inward inversion and the outward inversion. That is, between the rising position and the bent position, urine is stored in the space created between the surface rising toward the inside in the width direction and the top sheet 7, and time is secured until the absorbent body 6 absorbs the urine, while the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L facing outward in the width direction after the bent position can hold feces. However, the effect of holding urine is inward inversion, and the effect of holding feces is not as good as outward inversion.

[0037] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad longitudinal waist part when the side sheets are folded inwards and outwards. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad in Fig. 1 at the same position (i.e., line BB or CC) as Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, and is not biased as in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6. At this position, the side sheets 8R, 8L are bonded to the top sheet 7 on the inside in the width direction by hot melt HM or the like for a certain distance from the standing position, but are folded back on the outside in the width direction midway and bonded to the side sheets 8R, 8L themselves. In this way, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can be folded inwards and outwards by defining the folding direction from the longitudinal end of the side sheets 8R, 8L to the waist part.

[0038] As described above, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L are inclined inward, outward, or inward / outward, and the side sheets 8R, 8L are bonded from the longitudinal ends of the sheet to the waist area to form the inclined, outward, or inward / outward states. It has also been shown that inclination inward is suitable for catching urine, and outward is suitable for catching feces.

[0039] Considering the structure of the human body, the urethra contact position is in the direction of the front body region 1F. This tendency is particularly strong when the wearer is a man. The anus contact position is in the direction of the back body region 1R. Thus, the longitudinal positions of the receiving areas differ between urine and feces. For this reason, it would be preferable to provide three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L that are inverted outward in areas expected to receive feces and inverted inward in areas expected to receive urine.

[0040] Fig. 9 is a plan view showing an optimal form of the inner pad according to the embodiment. At the longitudinal rear end and the waist contact portion of the rear body region 1R, the side sheets 8R, 8L are folded as shown in Fig. 6, and the side sheets 8R, 8L are bonded together with hot melt HM or the like (8RR, 8LR). As a result of being restricted in this way, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L in the rear body region 1R rise up by being turned outward as shown in Fig. 5. In the rear body region 1R, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L are turned outward, so that feces can be effectively received.

[0041] At the longitudinal front end and the waist contact portion of the front body region 1F, the side sheets 8R, 8L are folded as shown in Fig. 4 and bonded to the top sheet 7 with hot melt HM or the like (8RF, 8LF). As a result of being restricted in this way, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L in the front body region 1F rise up, inclined inwards, as shown in Fig. 3. In the front body region 1F, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L are inclined inwards, so that urine can be effectively received.

[0042] In the crotch region 1B, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L rise generally vertically from the inner pad 1. When the wearer is walking around, both feces and urine flow into the crotch region, but because the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L rise vertically, the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can have a holding effect on both feces and urine.

[0043] 10 is a diagram showing a manufacturing method of an inner pad according to an embodiment. In the manufacturing process of an absorbent article such as the inner pad 1, many parts are attached and cut together to complete the product, but the absorbent article moves on a line in a connected stacked state, and after the entire structure is completed, it is cut and folded individually to become a product.

[0044] In the above-mentioned optimal form of the inner pad 1, the bonding directions of the side sheets 8L, 8R are different at both longitudinal ends, but it is difficult to change the bonding direction of the side sheets 8L, 8R when they are connected and continuous. Therefore, on the production line, the side sheets 8R, 8L are processed so that they are either inwardly or outwardly inclined, and hot melt adhesive is applied to only one end to bond them, forming the bonding part 10 (Fig. 10(1)). The bonding part 10 corresponds to any one of 8RR, 8LR, 8RF, and 8LF in Fig. 9. Next, the inner pad 1 is cut into individual pieces (Fig. 10(2)).

[0045] Next, the ends of the side sheets 8R, 8L that were not glued during cutting are directed in the other direction in the width direction (Fig. 10(3)). For example, if the side sheets 8R, 8L were glued at one end with the sheets folded inward, they are bent so that the sheets are folded outward. Finally, all ends are glued with a hot melt adhesive or the like (Fig. 10(4)). Through these steps, an inner pad 1 is realized in which the folding directions of the side sheets 8R, 8L are different at both longitudinal ends, and which has three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L that are suitable for both feces and urine.

[0046] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another method of manufacturing an inner pad according to an embodiment. In the same manner as the example shown in Fig. 10, absorbent articles such as inner pads are stacked and moved along a line in a connected state, and after the entire structure is completed, they are individually cut and folded to become products.

[0047] On the production line in Fig. 11, the side sheets 8R, 8L are processed so that they are inverted toward the front, and hot melt adhesive is applied to only one end of the side sheets 8R, 8L to bond them to the top sheet 7, forming the inverted adhesive part 11 (Fig. 11(1)). The inverted adhesive part 11 corresponds to either 8RF or 8LF in Fig. 9.

[0048] Next, hot melt HM is applied to the skin-facing side of the side sheets 8R, 8L (i.e., 8RR, 8LR in FIG. 9) at positions that are different longitudinal ends from the inwardly folded adhesive portion 11 (FIG. 11(2)). Then, before the hot melt HM hardens, temporary pressure is applied to fold the entire side sheets 8R, 8L widthwise inward, so that the skin-facing ends of the side sheets 8R and 8R, and the side sheets 8L and 8L are brought into contact with each other (FIG. 11(3)). In this way, the parts of the skin-facing ends of the side sheets 8R, 8L to which the hot melt HM has been applied are bonded to each other.

[0049] Thereafter, the pressure applied to the side sheets 8R, 8L is released. By releasing the pressure, the side sheets 8R, 8L expand back to their original shape. However, the area where the skin-facing ends of the side sheets 8R, 8L are bonded together with the hot melt HM remains in the shape where pressure was applied by the bond (FIG. 11(4)). This area becomes the outwardly folded adhesive part 12. This outwardly folded adhesive part 12 corresponds to either 8RR or 8LR in FIG. 9.

[0050] Finally, the inner pad 1 is cut into individual pieces (FIG. 11(5)). Through this process, even when the inner pad 1 is connected during the manufacturing process, the bonding directions of the side sheets 8L, 8R are different between the front body region and the back body region, and an inner pad 1 having three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L in a shape suitable for both feces and urine can be manufactured.

[0051] Although the features of the present invention have been described above by way of an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in Figs. 12, 13, and 14, even if the standing positions of the side sheets 8R, 8L are arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 6, the orientation of the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can be specified as shown in each figure. Three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L can be realized with inward inclination by applying hot melt HM as shown in Fig. 12, inward and outward inclination by applying hot melt HM as shown in Fig. 13, and outward inclination by applying hot melt HM as shown in Fig. 14.

[0052] If the side sheets 8R, 8L are erected on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 6, then not only the skin facing side of the absorbent body 6 but also the sides of the absorbent body 6 can retain and absorb excrement, which has the effect of increasing the amount retained by the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L. Even when such a configuration is adopted, it is still effective in retaining excrement to tilt the three-dimensional gathers 3R, 3L inward in the front body region 1F of the absorbent article and tilt the side sheets 3R, 3L backward in the rear body region 1R. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1··Inner pad 2. Elastic body 3BR, 3BL... Elastic body 3R, 3L: 3D gathers 4. Cover sheet 5. Back sheet 6. Absorber 7. Top sheet 8R, 8L··Side seat 8RR, 8LR, 8RF, 8LF ··Bonded side sheets 10...Adhesive part 11 Inward-leaning adhesive section 12. Outwardly folded adhesive section HM: Hot melt

Claims

1. An absorbent article including a front body region facing an abdomen of a wearer, a rear body region facing a back of the wearer, and a crotch region located between the front body region and the rear body region and in which an absorbent body is disposed, the absorbent article comprising: The absorbent body is provided with side sheets which stand up from both sides in the width direction, are liquid impermeable, and are biased so as to be in close contact with the skin, The side sheets rise toward the inside in the width direction in the front body region, The side sheets rise toward the outside in the width direction in the rear body region, The side sheet is folded inward in the width direction at a portion of the front body region that contacts the wearer's abdomen, and is bonded to a sheet disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, The side sheet abuts against the back of the wearer in the rear body region, and in a portion overlapping the absorbent body in a thickness direction, the side sheet is folded outward in a width direction and adhered to the side sheet itself. Absorbent articles.

2. The side sheet rises from the skin side of the absorbent body. The absorbent article of claim 1.

3. The side sheet rises from the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body. The absorbent article of claim 1.

4. The absorbent article is processed so that the ends of the side sheets provided on both sides in the width direction rise outward in the width direction, and is in a state where it is continuous in the longitudinal direction without being cut, A step of bonding an end portion of the side sheet on one side of the longitudinal end portions of the absorbent article; cutting the absorbent articles into individual pieces; A step of orienting an end portion of the side sheet that is not bonded when cut so that the end portion rises inward in the width direction; a step of gluing an end portion of the side sheet that is not glued when cut; Including, A method for manufacturing an absorbent article.

5. The absorbent article is processed so that the ends of the side sheets provided on both sides in the width direction rise inward in the width direction, and is in a state where the absorbent article is continuous in the longitudinal direction without being cut, A step of bonding an end portion of the side sheet on one side of the longitudinal end portions of the absorbent article; cutting the absorbent articles into individual pieces; A step of orienting an end portion of the side sheet that is not bonded when cut so that the end portion rises outward in the width direction; a step of gluing an end portion of the side sheet that is not glued when cut; Including, A method for manufacturing an absorbent article.

6. The absorbent article is processed so that the ends of the side sheets provided on both sides in the width direction rise inward in the width direction, and is in a state where the absorbent article is continuous in the longitudinal direction without being cut, an inward-turning adhesive portion forming step of adhering an end portion of one of the side sheets of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction to a sheet to be disposed on the skin side of a wearer so as to cover the skin side of the absorbent body; applying an adhesive to the skin side of the end of the side sheet at the longitudinal end on the side that is not bonded; an outwardly folded adhesive portion forming step of folding inward the widthwise end portions of the entire absorbent article and bonding the ends of the side sheets to which adhesive has been applied; cutting the absorbent articles into individual pieces; Including, The inwardly turned-down adhesive portion forming step includes turning down a portion of the front body region of the absorbent article that abuts against the wearer's abdomen in a widthwise inward direction, and bonding a sheet that is to be disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body to the side sheet, In the outwardly-folding step, the rear body region of the absorbent article is brought into contact with the back of the wearer, and the side sheets are folded outward in the width direction at portions overlapping in the thickness direction of the absorbent body, thereby bonding the side sheets together. A method for manufacturing an absorbent article.

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