Absorbent articles

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article capable of improving a standing angle of a standing gathering which is directed to inside.SOLUTION: A standing gathering 60 comprises: a root part 65 which is at an outside of a width direction WD relative to a block position; and a main body part 66 which extends inward of the width direction WD without being folded from the root part 65. The main body part 66 comprises: a front end 67 and a rear end 69 which have a fixing part BP with a top sheet 30; and an intermediate part 68 which is not fixed to the top sheet 30. A gathering elastic member 63 is fitted to a tip of the intermediate part 68, and on inside ends on the front end 67 and rear end 69 in the width direction WD, free parts FP which are not fixed to the top sheet 30, are provided continuously from the intermediate part 68. Other parts of the front end 67 and rear end 69 other than the free parts FP are fixing parts BP, and a width x1 of the free part FP is 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of a width x2 of the intermediate part 68, and a dimension y1 of the free part FP in a cross direction LD, is 1 to 9.5 times of the width x1 of the free part FP.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article having improved conformability of rising gathers. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, most absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins have rising gathers (also called three-dimensional gathers) that rise from both sides in the width direction of the top sheet surface. The rising gathers prevent the lateral movement of excrement, thereby preventing so-called side leakage.

[0003] Many rising gathers have a root part attached to the outside in the width direction of an imaginary line that continues in the front-rear direction through the cut-off position on both sides of the width direction of the top sheet surface, a main body part extending from the inside edge in the width direction of the root part, a fixing part in which the front end and the rear end of the main body part are fixed to the top sheet surface in a collapsed state, and an intermediate part located between the front and rear fixing parts of the main body part and not fixed to the top sheet surface. These parts are formed of a gather sheet such as a nonwoven fabric. At least the tip part of the rising gather has a two-layer structure in which the gather sheet is folded back at the tip (point), and an elongated gather elastic member is attached between the layers of at least the tip part of the intermediate part in a state of being stretched along the front-rear direction. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2.)

[0004] The middle part contracts together with the gathered elastic member due to the contractile force of the gathered elastic member, and is also capable of stretching together with the gathered elastic member. When worn, the contractile force of the gathered elastic member shortens the front-to-rear dimension of the tip of the middle part, and since the middle part is not fixed to the top sheet, the middle part rises up so that it is higher as it approaches the tip (the part farthest from the base part) and lower as it approaches the fixed parts of the front end and rear end.

[0005] Furthermore, in some absorbent articles such as tape-type disposable diapers, the main body of the rising gathers extends widthwise inward without being folded back from the base, and the tip of the main body faces widthwise inward.

[0006] However, such inward-facing gathers have problems in that there is a limit to the angle at which they can rise in the crotch area (and therefore the height at which they can rise), and while the middle section that rises from the surface of the top sheet is less likely to fall outward and is excellent at preventing the leakage of soft stools and the like, it has problems in that it is less likely to move outward in response to leg movements when in a lateral position, for example, and the tip is likely to come into contact with the skin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-130278 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-140068 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to improve the rising angle of the inward rising gathers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The absorbent article that solves the above problems is as follows. <First aspect> An absorber; A liquid-permeable top sheet disposed on the front side of the absorbent body; and rising gathers provided on both sides of the surface of the top sheet in the width direction, The rising gathers have a root portion attached to the outside in the width direction of an imaginary line that passes through a blocking position on both sides in the width direction of the surface of the top sheet and continues in the front-rear direction, and a main body portion that extends inward in the width direction from an inner edge in the width direction of the root portion without being folded back, The main body portion has a front end portion and a rear end portion having a fixing portion fixed to the top sheet, and an intermediate portion located between the front end portion and the rear end portion and not fixed to the top sheet, A gather elastic member having an elongated shape along the front-rear direction is attached to at least the tip of the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion is contracted together with the gathered elastic member by a contractile force of the gathered elastic member, and is stretchable together with the gathered elastic member; A free portion that is not fixed to the top sheet is provided at an inner end in the width direction of at least one of the front end portion and the rear end portion so as to continue from the intermediate portion, and the front end portion and the rear end portion other than the free portion are fixed portions, The width of the free portion is 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of the width of the intermediate portion, and the dimension of the free portion in the front-to-rear direction is 1 to 9.5 times the width of the free portion. An absorbent article characterized by:

[0010] (Action and effect) In conventional inward rising gathers, the front and rear fixing parts of the main body part are provided over almost the entire width of the main body part. In this case, when worn, the front and rear fixing parts suppress the rising of the middle part over the entire width, so the rising angle of the middle part is reliably limited and the tip of the middle part is also suppressed from falling outward. In addition, the middle part is less likely to move outward in response to leg movements, and the tip of the middle part is more likely to come into tight contact with the skin. In contrast, in the present absorbent article, a free portion (a portion not fixed to the top sheet) having a certain width is provided at the inner end in the width direction of at least one of the front end and rear end of the main body portion so as to continue from the middle portion. Therefore, although the front and rear fixed portions suppress the rise of the middle portion when worn, the degree of suppression is mitigated by the rise of the free portion (which rises to continue from the middle portion, but does not rise as much as the middle portion because the width of the free portion is short), so the rise angle of the middle portion is definitely larger than when there is no free portion. In addition, the presence of the free portion makes it easier for the tip of the middle portion to fall outward, and the middle portion is more likely to move outward following the movement of the legs. As a result, the tip of the middle portion is less likely to come into tight contact with the skin.

[0011] <Second aspect> The width of the free portion is 3.5 mm or more, the intermediate portion has the gathered elastic member in a tip side region having a width equal to the width of the free portion, and does not have the gathered elastic member in any other region than the tip side region; 1. An absorbent article according to a first embodiment.

[0012] (Action and effect) The width of the free portion can be determined as appropriate, but is preferably 3.5 mm or more. Also, it is preferable that the intermediate portion has the gathered elastic member only in the tip side region having a width equal to the width of the free portion, so that the portion having the gathered elastic member is less likely to come into tight contact with the skin. The gathered elastic member may extend to the free portion, in which case it may be fixed, or may be unfixed and not exert a contractile force.

[0013] <Third aspect> Among the regions overlapping the back side of the intermediate portion in an expanded state, a base portion side region having a width equal to the width of the fixing portion has an elongated inside elastic member extending along the front-rear direction on the back side of the top sheet, The base portion side region is contracted together with the inside elastic member due to a contractile force of the inside elastic member, and is also stretchable together with the inside elastic member. The absorbent article according to the first or second aspect.

[0014] (Action and effect) By providing the inside elastic member at the position of this embodiment, the portion having the inside elastic member is raised, and the portion that becomes the base of the rising gathers is inclined so that the rising angle of the middle portion becomes large, which is preferable.

[0015] <Fourth aspect> The absorbent body has a narrowed portion in the middle in the front-rear direction, the narrowed portion being narrower than both the front and rear ends of the absorbent body, The inside elastic member is disposed so as to pass through the constricted portion. An absorbent article according to a third embodiment.

[0016] (Action and effect) Since the constricted portion does not have an absorbent body, it has a lower rigidity than the portion having an absorbent body and is easily deformed. Therefore, it is preferable to provide an inside elastic member so that it passes through this position, because this makes it easier for the portion that will become the base of the rising gathers to incline.

[0017] <Fifth aspect> Both the front end and the rear end have the free portion; The width of the free portion of the front end portion is wider than the width of the free portion of the rear end portion. The absorbent article according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0018] (Action and effect) Since the range of motion of the legs is greater at the front than at the rear, making the width of the free portion at the front end of the main body wider than the width of the free portion at the rear end, as in this embodiment, is one preferred embodiment.

[0019] <Sixth aspect> Disposable diapers for low birth weight babies The absorbent article according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

[0020] (Action and effect) In disposable diapers for low birth weight infants, a weaker but softer fit is more preferable than a firm fit, and therefore the above-mentioned rising gathers having a free portion are suitable for disposable diapers for low birth weight infants. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantage that exudation of excreted fluid at the base of the rising gathers can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the connected disposable diaper in an unfolded state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface of the connected disposable diaper in an unfolded state. [Diagram 3] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the rising gathers. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the rising gathers. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the inner surface in an attached state. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the connected disposable diaper in an unfolded state. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the connected disposable diaper in an unfolded state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] 1 to 6 show a connected disposable diaper (also generally called a tape-type disposable diaper), which is an example of an absorbent article. In the figures, the symbol X indicates the overall width of the diaper excluding the connecting tape 13, and the symbol L indicates the overall length of the diaper. In the cross-sectional views, the dotted pattern and the * mark indicate hot melt adhesive as a joining means for joining the respective components located on the front and back sides, unless otherwise specified. The hot melt adhesive can be applied by a known method such as slot application, continuous line or dotted line bead application, spiral, Z-shaped, wavy, etc. spray application, or pattern coating (transfer of hot melt adhesive by letterpress printing). Alternatively or in addition to this, in the fixing portion of the elastic member, the hot melt adhesive can be applied to the outer circumferential surface of the elastic member to fix the elastic member to the adjacent member. As the hot melt adhesive, for example, EVA-based, adhesive rubber-based (elastomer-based), olefin-based, polyester-polyamide-based, and other types are available, and any type can be used without any particular limitation. As a fixing or joining means for joining each component, a material welding means such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing can be used. In a portion where liquid permeability in the thickness direction is required, adjacent components in the thickness direction are fixed or joined in an intermittent pattern. For example, when such intermittent fixing or joining is performed with a hot melt adhesive, intermittent pattern coating such as a spiral, Z-shape, or wave shape can be suitably used, and when coating an area larger than the coating width of one nozzle, intermittent pattern coating such as a spiral, Z-shape, or wave shape can be performed with or without a gap in the width direction.

[0024] This connected disposable diaper has a crotch area M including the center in the front-rear direction LD, a ventral area F extending forward from the center in the front-rear direction LD, and a back area B extending backward from the center in the front-rear direction LD. This connected disposable diaper also has an absorbent body 56 incorporated in a range including the crotch area M, a liquid-permeable top sheet 30 covering the front side of the absorbent body 56, a liquid-impermeable sheet 11 covering the back side of the absorbent body 56, and an exterior nonwoven fabric 12 covering the back side of the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 and constituting the outer surface of the product. When the absorbent body 56 has a constricted area 56n described below, the crotch area M means the area in the front-rear direction LD including the constricted area 56n, and when the absorbent body 56 does not have a constricted area 56n, it means a part located in the center in the front-rear direction LD and having a dimension in the front-rear direction LD of 30 to 60% of the total length of the product.

[0025] The material and characteristic parts of each part will be described in order below. In the following description, the nonwoven fabric may be any known nonwoven fabric depending on the part and purpose. The fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric may be selected without particular limitation from synthetic fibers such as olefins, polyesters, polyamides, etc. (including single-component fibers and composite fibers such as core-sheath fibers), such as polyethylene or polypropylene, regenerated fibers such as rayon or cupra, natural fibers such as cotton, etc., and may be mixed and used. In order to increase the flexibility of the nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use crimped fibers as the constituent fibers. The fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric may be hydrophilic fibers (including fibers that have been made hydrophilic by a hydrophilizing agent), hydrophobic fibers, or water-repellent fibers (including fibers that have been made water-repellent by a water-repellent agent). Furthermore, nonwoven fabrics are generally classified according to the length of the fibers, the sheet formation method, the fiber bonding method, and the laminated structure into staple fiber nonwoven fabrics, long fiber nonwoven fabrics, spunbond nonwoven fabrics, meltblown nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, thermal bond (air-through) nonwoven fabrics, needle punched nonwoven fabrics, point bond nonwoven fabrics, laminated nonwoven fabrics (including SMS nonwoven fabrics and SMMS nonwoven fabrics in which a meltblown layer is sandwiched between spunbond layers), and the like, and any of these nonwoven fabrics can be used. (Absorbent) The absorbent body 56 is a part that absorbs and retains excreted liquid, and can be formed by a fiber assembly. As this fiber assembly, in addition to stacked staple fibers such as cotton-like pulp and synthetic fibers, a filament assembly obtained by opening a tow (fiber bundle) of synthetic fibers such as cellulose acetate as required can also be used. When stacking cotton-like pulp or staple fibers, the fiber weight is, for example, 100 to 300 g / m 2 In the case of a filament aggregate, for example, the weight is 30 to 120 g / m 2 The fineness of the synthetic fibers is, for example, 1 to 16 dtex, preferably 1 to 10 dtex, and more preferably 1 to 5 dtex. In the case of a filament assembly, the filaments may be non-crimped fibers, but are preferably crimped fibers. The degree of crimp of the crimped fibers can be, for example, about 5 to 75, preferably 10 to 50, and more preferably 15 to 50, per 2.54 cm. Uniformly crimped fibers can also be used.

[0026] The shape of the absorbent body 56 can be determined as appropriate. For example, the absorbent body 56 can be formed in a generally hourglass shape with a narrowed portion 56n in which the portion located in the crotch area M is narrower than the front and rear sides as in the illustrated example, or can be formed in any other appropriate shape, such as a rectangular shape. In general, it is preferable that the absorbent body 56 is provided from the front side to the rear side of the crotch area, but this is not limiting.

[0027] (Superabsorbent polymer particles) The absorbent body 56 may contain superabsorbent polymer particles in part or in whole. The superabsorbent polymer particles include not only "particles" but also "powder". The superabsorbent polymer particles may be those used in this type of absorbent article as they are. The particle size of the superabsorbent polymer particles is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that when the particles are sieved (shaken for 5 minutes) using a 500 μm standard sieve (JIS Z8801-1:2006) and the particles that fall through the sieve are sieved (shaken for 5 minutes) using a 180 μm standard sieve (JIS Z8801-1:2006), the proportion of particles remaining on the 500 μm standard sieve is 30% by weight or less and the proportion of particles remaining on the 180 μm standard sieve is 60% by weight or more.

[0028] The material of the superabsorbent polymer particles is not particularly limited, but preferably has a water absorption of 40 g / g or more. The superabsorbent polymer particles include starch-based, cellulose-based, and synthetic polymer-based materials, and may be starch-acrylic acid (salt) graft copolymers, saponified starch-acrylonitrile copolymers, crosslinked products of sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and acrylic acid (salt) polymers. The shape of the superabsorbent polymer particles is preferably a powder-like shape that is commonly used, but other shapes may also be used.

[0029] The highly absorbent polymer particles preferably have a water absorption speed of 70 seconds or less, particularly 40 seconds or less. If the water absorption speed is too slow, the liquid supplied into the absorbent body 56 tends to flow back out of the absorbent body 56, which is called backflow.

[0030] Moreover, the highly absorbent polymer particles preferably have a gel strength of at least 1000 Pa. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the sticky feeling after absorbing liquid, even when the absorbent body 56 is bulky.

[0031] The basis weight of the highly absorbent polymer particles can be appropriately determined according to the absorption amount required for the application of the absorbent body 56. Therefore, although it cannot be generally stated, in general, it is generally 50 to 350 g / m 2 It can be said that:

[0032] (packaging sheet) In order to prevent the superabsorbent polymer particles from escaping or to improve the shape retention of the absorbent body 56, the absorbent body 56 can be incorporated as an absorbent element 50 wrapped in a wrapping sheet 58. As the wrapping sheet 58, tissue paper, particularly crepe paper, nonwoven fabric, polylaminated nonwoven fabric, a sheet with small holes, etc. can be used. However, it is preferable that the sheet is one from which the superabsorbent polymer particles do not escape. When using nonwoven fabric instead of crepe paper, hydrophilic SMMS (spunbond / meltblown / meltblown / spunbond) nonwoven fabric is particularly suitable, and the material that can be used is polypropylene, polyethylene / polypropylene, etc. The fiber basis weight is 5 to 40 g / m 2 , especially 10 to 30 g / m 2 It is preferable that the following be used.

[0033] 3, this packaging sheet 58 may be structured so that one sheet wraps the entire absorbent body 56, or multiple sheets, such as two sheets above and below, may be used to wrap the entire absorbent body 56. The packaging sheet 58 may also be omitted.

[0034] (Top sheet) The top sheet 30 is liquid permeable, and may be, for example, a perforated or non-perforated nonwoven fabric, a perforated plastic sheet, or the like.

[0035] The top sheet 30 extends from the front end to the rear end of the product in the front-rear direction, but can be appropriately modified as necessary. The top sheet 30 in the illustrated example extends outside the boundary between the main body portion 66 and the root portion 65 of the rising gathers 60 described later in the width direction WD, but is not limited to this. The top sheet 30 in the illustrated example extends laterally beyond the side edges of the absorbent body 56, but can be appropriately modified as necessary, such as by positioning the side edges of the top sheet 30 inside the side edges of the absorbent body 56.

[0036] (middle seat) Although not shown, an intermediate sheet (also called a "second sheet") can be provided adjacent to the back side of the top sheet 30 in order to prevent liquid that has permeated the top sheet 30 from flowing back.

[0037] As the intermediate sheet, various nonwoven fabrics can be suitably used, and in particular, bulky air-through nonwoven fabrics can be suitably used. For the air-through nonwoven fabric, composite fibers with a core-sheath structure are preferably used, and in this case, the resin used for the core may be polypropylene (PP), but polyester (PET) with high rigidity is preferred. The basis weight is 17 to 80 g / m 2 is preferable, and 25 to 60 g / m 2 The thickness of the raw fiber of the nonwoven fabric is preferably 2.0 to 10 dtex. In order to make the nonwoven fabric bulky, it is also preferable to use eccentric fibers, hollow fibers, or eccentric and hollow fibers as all or part of the raw fiber mixture in order to make the nonwoven fabric bulky.

[0038] The intermediate sheet may be disposed at the center and be shorter than the width of the absorbent body 56, or may be disposed so as to cover the entire width of the absorbent body 56. The intermediate sheet may be provided over the entire length of the diaper, or may be provided only in the middle portion including the excretion position.

[0039] (Liquid-impermeable sheet) The liquid-impermeable sheet 11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably moisture-permeable. For example, a microporous sheet obtained by kneading an inorganic filler into an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, forming a sheet, and then stretching the sheet in a uniaxial or biaxial direction can be suitably used as the liquid-impermeable sheet 11. In addition, a sheet having a nonwoven fabric as a base material and enhanced waterproofness can also be used as the liquid-impermeable sheet 11.

[0040] The liquid impermeable sheet 11 preferably has an extending portion extending outward in the width direction WD beyond the top sheet 30. It is desirable that the liquid impermeable sheet 11 extends over the same or a wider range than the absorbent body 56 in the front-rear direction LD and the width direction WD.

[0041] (Exterior nonwoven fabric) The exterior nonwoven fabric 12 covers the entire back side of the liquid-impermeable sheet 11, and gives the outer surface of the product a cloth-like appearance. The nonwoven fabric may be used in a single layer or in a stack of multiple layers. In the latter case, it is preferable to bond the nonwoven fabrics together with a hot melt adhesive or the like. When a nonwoven fabric is used, the fineness of the constituent fibers is 1.0 to 6.0 dtex, and the basis weight is 15 to 45 g / m. 2 It is preferable that the nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 0.5 to 3.0 mm.

[0042] The exterior nonwoven fabric 12 may be replaced by a sheet other than a nonwoven fabric, and the exterior nonwoven fabric 12 may be omitted.

[0043] (End flap section, side flap section) The connected disposable diaper in the illustrated example has a pair of end flap portions EF that do not have an absorbent body 56 and extend to the front and rear sides of the absorbent body 56, respectively, and a pair of side flap portions SF that do not have an absorbent body 56 and extend laterally beyond both side edges of the absorbent body 56. The side flap portions SF may be made of a material (such as the exterior nonwoven fabric 12) that is continuous with the portion having the absorbent body 56, as in the illustrated example, or may be formed by attaching other materials.

[0044] (Wing part) In this connected disposable diaper, the back portion B has a wing portion WP extending outward in the width direction WD beyond the crotch portion M. Similarly, the ventral portion F also has a wing portion WP extending outward in the width direction WD beyond the crotch portion M. These wing portions WP can be formed from a separate member from the other portions. However, in the structure having side flap portions SF as shown in the figure, it is preferable because this facilitates manufacturing if a narrowed side edge 70 is formed from the side edge of the crotch portion M to the lower edge 71 of the wing portion WP by cutting out the middle of the side portion of the side flap portion SF in the front-to-rear direction LD.

[0045] (Connecting tape) 1, 2 and 6, the wing portions WP of the back portion B are provided with connecting tapes 13 which are detachably connected to the outer surface of the abdominal portion F. When putting on the diaper 10, the connecting tapes 13 are wrapped around the outer surface of the abdominal portion F from both sides of the waist, and the connecting portions 13A of the connecting tapes 13 are connected to appropriate positions on the outer surface of the abdominal portion F.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting tape 13 has a base end 13C fixed to the wing portion WP, a sheet base material forming a main portion 13B extending from the base end 13C, and a connecting portion 13A for the abdominal portion F provided in the middle of the main portion 13B in the width direction WD of the sheet base material. The base end 13C side of the main portion 13B from the connecting portion 13A is a non-connecting portion that is not connected to the abdominal portion F. The side edge of the base end 13C may coincide with the side edge of the wing portion WP, or may be slightly spaced inward in the width direction WD from the side edge of the wing portion WP as shown in the figure. The inner edge of the connecting portion 13A in the width direction may coincide with the side edge of the wing portion WP, but it is preferable that it is sufficiently spaced outward in the width direction WD from the side edge of the wing portion WP as shown in FIG. 6.

[0047] The connecting portion 13A may be provided with a hook material (male material) of a mechanical fastener (hook-and-loop fastener) or with an adhesive layer. The hook material has many engaging protrusions on its connecting surface, and the shapes of the engaging protrusions include (A) L-shape, (B) J-shape, (C) mushroom-shape, (D) T-shape, and (E) double J-shape (a shape in which two J-shapes are joined back to back), and any shape may be used.

[0048] The sheet base material forming the base end portion 13C to the main body portion 13B may be a nonwoven fabric, a plastic film, a polylaminated nonwoven fabric, paper, or a composite material thereof. 2 A spunbond nonwoven fabric, an air-through nonwoven fabric, or a spunlace nonwoven fabric having a thickness of 1 mm or less is preferred.

[0049] The connecting tape 13 may be one in which at least a portion of the non-connected portion is stretchable in the width direction WD, or one in which the entirety is not stretchable.

[0050] (Target section) A target portion 12T is provided at a connection point of the connecting tape 13 in the abdominal portion F. As shown in the illustrated example, the target portion 12T can be provided by attaching a sheet material for facilitating connection to the outer surface of the abdominal portion F.

[0051] The sheet material for forming the target portion 12T is not particularly limited, but when the connecting portion 13A is a hook material, for example, a long-fiber nonwoven fabric in which the fibers are partially welded to each other by ultrasonic welding in an intermittent pattern can be used.

[0052] In addition, when the connecting portion 13A is a hook material, a composite sheet material in which a large number of loop threads are sewn onto the surface of a base material made of a plastic film or nonwoven fabric, into which the engaging protrusions of the hook material can be entangled, can be used as the sheet material for forming the target portion 12T.

[0053] Furthermore, when the connecting portion 13A is a hook material and the connecting portion of the connecting tape 13 in the ventral portion F is made of nonwoven fabric (for example, when there is an outer nonwoven fabric 12 as in the illustrated example), it is possible to use a suitable location of the outer nonwoven fabric 12 as the target portion 12T and connect the hook material by entangling it with the fibers of the outer nonwoven fabric 12 without adding a sheet material to form the target portion 12T.

[0054] On the other hand, when the connecting portion 13A is an adhesive layer, the sheet material for forming the target portion 12T can be a sheet material made of a plastic film having a smooth surface that is highly adhesive and has been subjected to a peeling treatment.

[0055] (Rising Gathers) In order to block excrement moving laterally along the top sheet 30 and prevent so-called lateral leakage, rising gathers 60 are provided on both sides of the surface of the top sheet 30 in the width direction WD.

[0056] The rising gathers 60 have a root portion 65 attached to the outside in the width direction WD of a virtual line 60B that passes through a cut-off position on both sides of the width direction WD on the surface of the top sheet 30 and continues in the front-to-back direction LD, and a main body portion 66 that extends from the inner edge of the root portion 65 in the width direction WD to the inside in the width direction WD without being folded back. The main body portion 66 has a front end portion 67 and a rear end portion 69 having a fixed portion BP fixed to the top sheet 30 (in other words, the range of the main body portion 66 in the front-to-back direction LD having the fixed portion BP is the front end portion 67 and the rear end portion 69), and an intermediate portion 68 that is located between the front end portion 67 and the rear end portion 69 and is not fixed to the top sheet 30, and an elongated gather elastic member 63 that is aligned along the front-to-back direction LD is attached to at least the tip portion of the intermediate portion 68.

[0057] The main body 66 and the root 65 can be formed by a gathered sheet 62 that is folded in half at the tip of the main body 66 (the end opposite to the root 65) to form a two-layer structure of an inner layer 62n and an outer layer 62f. In this case, a gathered elastic member 63 can be provided between the inner layer 62n and the outer layer 62f. The inner layer 62n may extend to the root 65 as shown in FIG. 3, or may extend only to the middle position in the width direction WD of the main body 66 (not shown). In other words, the main body 66 may have a single layer portion on the root 65 side. The gathered sheet 62 may have a layer structure of three or more layers, and may have a liquid-impermeable film as an intermediate layer in particular. When the gathered sheet 62 has a multi-layer structure, the number of layers may be increased by attaching another nonwoven fabric without folding back one nonwoven fabric, or by increasing the number of layers by folding back one nonwoven fabric.

[0058] The root portion 65 has a joining start end in the width direction WD on a side portion of the top sheet 30, and this joining start end passes through the blocking position and continues in the front-to-rear direction LD. The root portion 65 in the illustrated example has an extending portion that extends outward in the width direction WD beyond the top sheet 30, and this extending portion is joined by a hot melt adhesive or the like to the inner surface of each side flap portion SF, that is, in the illustrated example, to the side portion of the liquid impermeable sheet 11 and the side portion of the exterior nonwoven fabric 12 positioned outward in the width direction WD.

[0059] Although fixed parts BP fixed to the surface of the top sheet 30 are provided at both ends of the main body part 66 in the front-rear direction LD, an intermediate part 68 located between the front and rear fixed parts BP is a part that is not fixed to the surface of the top sheet 30. The intermediate part 68 contracts together with the gathered elastic member 63 due to the contractile force of the gathered elastic member 63, and is also extensible together with the gathered elastic member 63. As a result, in the worn state, the dimension of the tip of the intermediate part 68 in the front-rear direction LD is shortened by the contractile force of the gathered elastic member 63, and the intermediate part 68 is not fixed to the top sheet 30, so that the intermediate part 68 rises up so as to become higher as it approaches the tip (the part farthest from the root part 65) and to become lower as it approaches the fixed parts BP of the front end part 67 and the rear end part 69, as shown in Figures 7 and 9.

[0060] The type of gathered sheet 62 is not particularly limited, but in general, a water-repellent nonwoven fabric is used from the viewpoints of touch and liquid blocking properties. In particular, a nonwoven fabric having a meltblown layer between spunbond layers (SMS nonwoven fabric, SMMS nonwoven fabric, SSMS nonwoven fabric, SSMMS nonwoven fabric) is preferable because it can achieve both touch and liquid blocking properties. The nonwoven fabric may be used in a single layer or in a stack of multiple layers. In the latter case, it is preferable to bond the nonwoven fabrics together with a hot melt adhesive or the like.

[0061] The gathered elastic member 63 may be an elastic member such as rubber having an elongated shape such as a thread, string, or band. The gathered elastic member 63 may be provided in a single piece on each side as in the illustrated example, or multiple pieces on each side. The elongation rate of the gathered elastic member 63 in the developed state may be appropriately determined, but is preferably about 150 to 250%, and more preferably 180 to 230%. When synthetic rubber thread such as spandex is used as the gathered elastic member 63, its thickness is preferably 300 to 700 dtex, and more preferably 400 to 500 dtex.

[0062] Characteristically, a free portion FP that is not fixed to the top sheet 30 is provided at the inner end of the front end 67 and the rear end 69 of the main body portion 66 in the width direction WD so as to continue from the intermediate portion 68, and the portion of the main body portion 66 other than the free portion FP is the fixed portion BP. The width x1 of the free portion FP is 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of the width x2 of the intermediate portion 68, and the dimension of the free portion FP in the front-to-back direction LD is 1 to 9.5 times the width x1 of the free portion FP. Note that the width x1 of the free portion FP is constant in the illustrated example, but may vary depending on the position in the front-to-back direction LD, in which case it means the minimum value. The width x2 of the intermediate portion 68 is constant in the illustrated example, but may vary depending on the position in the front-to-back direction LD, in which case it means the maximum value.

[0063] In such an inward rising gather 60, as shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 9, the front and rear fixed parts BP suppress the rising of the middle part 68 when worn, but the degree of suppression is mitigated by the rising of the free part FP (which rises up as if following the middle part 68, but does not rise as much as the middle part 68 because the width x1 of the free part FP is short), so the rising angle of the middle part 68 is definitely larger than when there is no free part FP. Also, due to the presence of the free part FP, as shown in Fig. 8, the tip of the middle part 68 tends to fall outward, and the middle part 68 tends to move outward following the movement of the legs. Furthermore, as a result, the tip of the middle part 68 is less likely to come into tight contact with the skin.

[0064] The dimensions of the free portion FP can be appropriately determined within the above-mentioned range. It is particularly preferable that the width x1 of the free portion FP is 2 / 11 to 1 / 4 of the width x2 of the intermediate portion 68. More specifically, it is preferable that the lower limit of the width x1 of the free portion FP is 3.5 mm. In addition, when both the front end 67 and the rear end 69 have free portions FP, the width x1 of the free portion FP of the front end 67 and the width x1 of the free portion FP of the rear end 69 may be equal, but since the range of motion of the leg is larger on the front side than on the rear side, it is one preferred embodiment to make the width x1 of the free portion FP of the front end 67 of the main body 66 wider (for example, 1.2 to 1.5 times) than the width x1 of the free portion FP of the rear end 69, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0065] It is more preferable that the dimension y1 of the free portion FP in the front-rear direction LD is 2 to 8.5 times the width x1 of the free portion FP. When the free portion FP is provided at the front end 67 of the main body portion 66, as in the example shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the free portion FP is provided over the entire length of the front end 67, and when the free portion FP is provided at the rear end 69 of the main body portion 66, it is preferable that the free portion FP is provided over the entire length of the rear end 69. However, when the free portion FP is provided at the front end 67, as shown in FIG. 11, the free portion FP may be provided only on the rear side of the front end 67, and the entire front side of the front end 67 may be the fixed portion BP in the width direction WD. Similarly, when the free portion FP is provided at the rear end 69, as shown in FIG. 11, the free portion FP may be provided only on the front side of the rear end 69, and the entire rear side of the rear end 69 may be the fixed portion BP in the width direction WD. As can be seen from this, when the free portion FP is provided at both the front end 67 and the rear end 69 of the main body portion 66, the dimension in the front-to-rear direction LD of the free portion FP at the front end 67 may be equal to or different from the dimension in the front-to-rear direction LD of the free portion FP at the rear end 69. It is preferable to provide the free portion FP at both the front end 67 and the rear end 69 of the main body portion 66 as in the illustrated example, but it is also possible to provide the free portion FP only at the front end 67 or only at the rear end 69.

[0066] Unlike the illustrated example, the gathered elastic member 63 may be provided other than at the tip of the intermediate portion 68; however, as in the illustrated example, it is preferable to provide it only in the tip region having a width equal to the width x1 of the free portion FP, and not to have the gathered elastic member 63 in any region other than the tip region, since this prevents the portion having the gathered elastic member 63 from pressing tightly against the skin.

[0067] Also, the gathered elastic member 63 may or may not extend to the free portion FP. In the former case, the portion of the gathered elastic member 63 located at the free portion FP may be fixed to the free portion FP so that the contractile force of the gathered elastic member 63 acts on the free portion FP, or the portion of the gathered elastic member 63 located at the free portion FP may not be fixed to the free portion FP so that the contractile force of the gathered elastic member 63 does not act on the free portion FP.

[0068] (Inside flat gathers) As shown in the illustrated example, in the region overlapping the back side of the intermediate portion 68 in the unfolded state, a narrow inside elastic member 61 is provided along the front-rear direction LD on the back side of the top sheet 30 in the root side region equivalent to the width x3 of the fixing portion BP, and the root side region is preferably contracted together with the inside elastic member 61 by the contractile force of the inside elastic member 61 and is also stretchable together with the inside elastic member 61 (so-called flat gathers). By providing such an inside elastic member 61, the part having the inside elastic member 61 is raised in the direction shown by the white arrow in Figures 7 and 8, and the part that becomes the base of the rising gathers 60 can be inclined so that the rising angle of the intermediate portion 68 becomes large (this state is not shown in Figures 7 and 8). The inside elastic member 61 can also be omitted.

[0069] The position of the inside elastic member 61 can be appropriately determined within the above-mentioned range. As an example, the position of the inside elastic member 61 in the width direction WD is preferably within 10 mm, particularly 7.5 mm, in the width direction WD from the cutoff position (the boundary between the root portion 65 and the middle portion 68). In addition, when the position of the front end of the product in the front-rear direction LD is 0% and the position of the rear end of the product is 100%, it is preferable that the front end of the part stretched by the inside elastic member 61 is located in a range of 20 to 30%, and the rear end of the part stretched by the inside elastic member 61 is located in a range of 20 to 30%. As shown in the figure, when a narrowed portion 56n narrower than both the front and rear ends is formed in the middle of the absorber 56 in the front-rear direction LD (particularly, in the range of the front-rear direction LD including the crotch portion M), it is preferable that the inside elastic member 61 is disposed so as to pass through the narrowed portion 56n. Since the narrowed portion 56n is a portion that does not have the absorber 56, it has a lower rigidity than the portion that has the absorber 56 and is easily deformed. Therefore, if the inside elastic member 61 is provided so as to pass through this position, the portion that becomes the base of the rising gathers 60 becomes more likely to be inclined.

[0070] The inside elastic member 61 can be provided between the packaging sheet 58 and the liquid-impermeable sheet 11, or can be provided between the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 and the exterior nonwoven fabric 12. The inside elastic member 61 can be provided one on each side as in the illustrated example, or multiple on each side spaced apart in the width direction.

[0071] The inside elastic member 61 may be an elastic member such as rubber having an elongated shape such as a thread, string, or band. The inside elastic member 61 may be provided on each side, one piece as in the illustrated example, or multiple pieces may be provided on each side. The elongation rate of the inside elastic member 61 in the developed state may be appropriately determined, but is preferably about 160 to 240%, and more preferably 180 to 220%. When synthetic rubber thread such as spandex is used as the inside elastic member 61, its thickness is preferably 400 to 700 dtex, and more preferably 500 to 650 dtex.

[0072] The contractile force acting portion of the inside elastic member 61 (the portion in which the inside elastic member 61 is shown in the drawing) may be the same as or shorter than the portion where the inside elastic member 61 exists. In other words, the inside elastic member 61 exists on the front side, rear side, or both sides of the contractile force acting portion of the inside elastic member 61, but the contractile force does not act on the inside elastic member 61 except for the portion where the contractile force acts, because the inside elastic member 61 is not fixed to the sheet sandwiching the inside elastic member 61, or the inside elastic member 61 is cut into small pieces at one or multiple places, or both (effectively equivalent to no elastic member being provided), and the contractile force acting portion may be shorter than the portion where the inside elastic member exists.

[0073] (Outside flat gathers) An outside elastic member 64 is provided on the outside of the blocking position in the width direction WD of each side flap portion SF, and the leg surrounding portion of each side flap portion SF is contracted together with the outside elastic member 64 by the contractile force of the outside elastic member 64, and may be made stretchable together with the outside elastic member 64 (so-called flat gathers may be formed). The outside elastic member 64 may be omitted.

[0074] The outside elastic member 64 may be provided between the gathered sheet 62 and the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 as in the illustrated example, or may be provided between the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 in the side flap portion SF and the exterior nonwoven fabric 12. Only one outside elastic member 64 may be provided on each side as in the illustrated example, or multiple outside elastic members 64 may be provided on each side with gaps in the width direction.

[0075] The outside elastic member 64 may be an elastic member such as rubber in the form of a long thin thread, string, strip, etc. The outside elastic member 64 may be provided on each side, either one on each side as in the illustrated example, or multiple on each side. The stretch percentage of the outside elastic member 64 in the deployed state may be appropriately determined, but is preferably about 170 to 250%, and more preferably 190 to 230%. When synthetic rubber thread such as spandex is used as the outside elastic member 64, its thickness is preferably 400 to 700 dtex, and more preferably 500 to 650 dtex.

[0076] The contraction force acting portion of the outside elastic member 64 (the portion in which the outside elastic member 64 is shown in the figure) may be the same as or shorter than the portion where the outside elastic member 64 exists. In other words, the outside elastic member 64 exists in front of, behind, or on both sides of the contraction force acting portion of the outside elastic member 64, but the contraction force does not act on the outside elastic member 64 except for the portion where the contraction force acts, because the outside elastic member 64 is not fixed to the sheet sandwiching the outside elastic member 64, or the outside elastic member 64 is cut into small pieces at one or multiple places, or both (effectively equivalent to no elastic member being provided), and the contraction force acting portion may be shorter than the portion where the outside elastic member 64 exists.

[0077] <Explanation of terms used in the specification> When used in this specification, the following terms have the following meanings, unless otherwise stated in the specification.

[0078] "MD" and "CD" refer to the machine direction (MD) and the cross direction (CD) perpendicular to it in the manufacturing equipment, one of which is the front-rear direction of the product, and the other is the width direction of the product. The MD direction of a nonwoven fabric is the direction of fiber orientation of the nonwoven fabric. Fiber orientation is the direction along which the fibers of the nonwoven fabric are aligned, and can be determined, for example, by a measurement method based on the fiber orientation test method based on zero-distance tensile strength in TAPPI standard method T481, or a simplified measurement method that determines the fiber orientation direction from the tensile strength ratio in the front-rear direction and the width direction.

[0079] The "front-rear direction" means the direction indicated by the symbol LD in the drawing (longitudinal direction), and the "width direction" means the direction indicated by the symbol WD in the drawing (left-right direction), with the front-rear direction and the width direction being perpendicular to each other.

[0080] "Front side" means the side closest to the wearer's skin when worn, and "back side" means the side away from the wearer's skin when worn.

[0081] "Front surface" means the surface of a component that is closest to the wearer's skin when worn, and "back surface" means the surface that is away from the wearer's skin when worn.

[0082] The term "deployed state" refers to a state in which the material is deployed flat without contraction (including any contraction such as contraction due to an elastic member) or sagging.

[0083] The term "elongation rate" refers to a value when the natural length is taken as 100%. For example, an elongation rate of 200% is synonymous with an elongation ratio of 2 times.

[0084] "Artificial urine" is a mixture of 2 wt% urea, 0.8 wt% sodium chloride, 0.03 wt% calcium chloride dihydrate, 0.08 wt% magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, and 97.09 wt% ion-exchanged water, and is used at a temperature of 37 degrees unless otherwise specified.

[0085] "Gel strength" is measured as follows. 1.0 g of superabsorbent polymer is added to 49.0 g of artificial urine and stirred with a stirrer. The resulting gel is left in a thermo-hygrostat at 40°C x 60% RH for 3 hours, then returned to room temperature and the gel strength is measured with a card meter (I.techno Engineering: Curdmeter-MAX ME-500).

[0086] "Basis weight" is measured as follows. After pre-drying the sample or test piece, it is left in a test room or device under standard conditions (test location: temperature 23±1°C, relative humidity 50±2%) until it reaches a constant weight. Pre-drying refers to bringing the sample or test piece to a constant weight in an environment at a temperature of 100°C. Note that pre-drying is not necessary for fibers with an official moisture regain of 0.0%. Using a sample collection template (100mm x 100mm), cut out a sample measuring 100mm x 100mm from the test piece that has reached a constant weight. Measure the weight of the sample and multiply it by 100 to calculate the weight per square meter, which is the basis weight.

[0087] "Thickness" was measured using an automatic thickness measuring device (KES-G5 handy compression tester) with a load of 0.098N / cm 2 , and pressure area: 2cm 2 The measurement is performed automatically under the following conditions.

[0088] The "water absorption amount" is measured according to JIS K7223-1996 "Test method for water absorption amount of superabsorbent resins".

[0089] "Water absorption rate" is the "time to the end point" when 2 g of superabsorbent polymer and 50 g of physiological saline are used and the JIS K7224-1996 "Test method for water absorption rate of superabsorbent polymer" is performed.

[0090] Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions of each part refer to the dimensions in the deployed state, not in the natural length state.

[0091] If no specification is given regarding the environmental conditions for a test or measurement, the test or measurement shall be carried out in a test room or equipment under standard conditions (the test location shall be a temperature of 23±1°C and a relative humidity of 50±2%). [Industrial Applicability]

[0092] The present invention is not limited to the tape-type disposable diaper as described above, but can be used for all disposable diapers such as pad-type and pants-type diapers, as long as they have rise-up gathers, and can also be used for other absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins. In particular, for disposable diapers for low birth weight infants, a soft fit, even if weak, is preferable rather than a firm fit. Therefore, the rise-up gathers having the above-mentioned free portion are suitable for disposable diapers for low birth weight infants. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 11...liquid-impermeable sheet, 12...outer nonwoven fabric, 12T...target portion, 13...connecting tape, 13A...connecting portion, 30...top sheet, 50...absorbent element, 56...absorbent body, 56n...constricted portion, 58...packaging sheet, 60...rise gathers, 61...inside elastic member, 62...gathered sheet, 62f...outer layer, 62n...inner layer, 63...gathered elastic member, 64...outside elastic member, 65...root portion, 66...main body portion, 67...front end portion, 68...middle portion, 69...rear end portion, BP...fixed portion, FP...free portion, LD...front-to-back direction, M...crotch portion, WD...width direction.

Claims

1. An absorber; A liquid-permeable top sheet disposed on the front side of the absorbent body; and rising gathers provided on both sides of the surface of the top sheet in the width direction, The rising gathers have a root portion attached to the outside in the width direction of an imaginary line that passes through a blocking position on both sides in the width direction of the surface of the top sheet and continues in the front-rear direction, and a main body portion that extends inward in the width direction from an inner edge in the width direction of the root portion without being folded back, The main body portion has a front end portion and a rear end portion having a fixing portion fixed to the top sheet, and an intermediate portion located between the front end portion and the rear end portion and not fixed to the top sheet, A gather elastic member having an elongated shape along the front-rear direction is attached to at least the tip of the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion is contracted together with the gathered elastic member by a contractile force of the gathered elastic member, and is stretchable together with the gathered elastic member; a free portion that is not fixed to the top sheet is provided at an inner end in the width direction of the front end portion and the rear end portion so as to continue from the intermediate portion and extend over the entire length of the front end portion and the entire length of the rear end portion, and the front end portion and the rear end portion other than the free portion are the fixed portion, The width of the free portion is 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of the width of the intermediate portion, and the dimension of the free portion in the front-to-rear direction is 1 to 9.5 times the width of the free portion, the intermediate portion has the gathered elastic member only on the tip side of a tip side region having a width equal to the width of the free portion, and does not have the gathered elastic member in any other region than the tip side region; An absorbent article characterized by:

2. The width of the free portion is 3.5 mm or more. The absorbent article of claim 1.

3. Among the regions overlapping the back side of the intermediate portion in an expanded state, a base portion side region having a width equal to the width of the fixing portion has an elongated inside elastic member extending along the front-rear direction on the back side of the top sheet, The base portion side region is contracted together with the inside elastic member due to a contractile force of the inside elastic member, and is also stretchable together with the inside elastic member.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The absorbent body has a narrowed portion in the middle in the front-rear direction, the narrowed portion being narrower than both the front and rear ends of the absorbent body, The inside elastic member is disposed so as to pass through the constricted portion. The absorbent article according to claim 3.

5. Both the front end and the rear end have the free portion; The width of the free portion of the front end portion is 1.2 to 1.5 times the width of the free portion of the rear end portion. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The gathered elastic member extends to the free portion, and a portion of the gathered elastic member located at the free portion is not fixed to the free portion, so that the contraction force of the gathered elastic member does not act on the free portion. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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