Absorbent articles

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article reliably preventing even a large amount of urine and / or faeces from leaking to the front / back and left / right (especially, to the front / back).SOLUTION: An absorbent article comprising a liquid permeable top sheet, a liquid impermeable back sheet, and an absorber disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, comprises a pair of three-dimensional gathers including a water-repellent or waterproof sheet along the longitudinal direction, formed on a skin-contact surface side of the top sheet, and superabsorbent sheets respectively provided on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the skin-contact surface side of the absorbent article. The superabsorbent sheet includes nonwoven fabric sheets, and a superabsorbent polymer enclosed between the double layers of nonwoven fabric sheets.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article comprising a highly absorbent sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, absorbent articles are composed of a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, so that bodily fluids such as urine are absorbed by the absorbent body through the top sheet.

[0003] Absorbent articles are generally required to absorb excreted bodily fluids (urine, feces) without leaking to the outside and to minimize leakage back to the skin. Various technologies are being considered, particularly with regard to preventing leakage to the outside.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1, which is a prior art document for an absorbent article characterized by preventing leakage to the outside, describes an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, an absorbent body interposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, first three-dimensional gathers arranged inward along both longitudinal side edges of the absorbent body, and second three-dimensional gathers arranged inward outside the first three-dimensional gathers, the absorbent article being used by being attached to an exterior body that is worn on the human body, and comprising a ventral side portion located on the ventral side of the wearer when worn, a dorsal side portion located on the dorsal side, a crotch portion located between the ventral side portion and the dorsal side portion, and two leg surrounding portions located around the legs, and the rear end of the first three-dimensional gather is disposed closer to the crotch portion than the rear end of the second three-dimensional gather and is inclined inwardly from the longitudinal edge of the absorbent body toward the rear portion; and a slit or recess is formed in the absorbent body, passing between the rear end of the first three-dimensional gather and the rear end of the second three-dimensional gather and reaching inward from the first three-dimensional gather.

[0005] Patent document 2 discloses a disposable absorbent article having waist barrier cuffs that freely stand up when in use on the use surface side of at least one of the longitudinal ends of the product, wherein the barrier cuffs are formed in a double layer from a barrier sheet, the base of the doubled barrier sheet is fixed to the use surface of the product, the boundary between this fixed part and an unfixed standing area extending to the standing distal edge is the proximal edge of the waist barrier cuffs, and elastic stretch members are provided near the distal edge and near the proximal edge within the standing area within the longitudinal range of the product between the doubled barrier sheets. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5581088 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3390723 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, although side leakage can be prevented for large amounts of urine or loose stool, or both, by a pair of three-dimensional gathers along the longitudinal direction on both the left and right sides or by waist barrier cuffs, the problem remains that it is difficult to reliably prevent leakage from the front and back of urine or loose stool that spreads longitudinally as a result of preventing side leakage.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an absorbent article that reliably prevents leakage in the front and back and left and right (especially front and back) even for large amounts of urine and / or feces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The inventors conducted extensive research and found that by providing a highly absorbent sheet containing a highly absorbent polymer between multiple layers of a nonwoven fabric sheet at both longitudinal ends of the absorbent article, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that reliably prevents leakage in the front and rear and left and right directions (particularly front and rear directions) even for large amounts of urine and / or feces, and thus completed the present invention.

[0010] (1) A first aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, wherein the skin contact side of the top sheet is provided with a pair of three-dimensional gathers having a water-repellent or waterproof sheet along the longitudinal direction, and a highly absorbent sheet is provided at each of both longitudinal end portions of the skin contact side of the absorbent article, the highly absorbent sheet comprising a nonwoven sheet and a highly absorbent polymer enclosed between the layers of the nonwoven sheet.

[0011] (2) A second aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (1), wherein the highly absorbent sheet is positioned at the longitudinal ends of the absorbent article so as to cover the pair of three-dimensional gathers.

[0012] (3) A third aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (2), characterized in that both side ends of the highly absorbent sheet are joined to the widthwise ends of the top sheet at both side ends of the pair of three-dimensional gathers directly or indirectly via the sheets of the pair of three-dimensional gathers, and a pocket space is formed between the highly absorbent sheet and the top sheet.

[0013] (4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that the super absorbent sheet is attached to the absorbent article in a state stretched in the width direction.

[0014] (5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (4), characterized in that the elongation ratio in the width direction of the superabsorbent sheet is greater in the end width than in the central width in the longitudinal direction.

[0015] (6) The sixth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to (4) or (5), characterized in that the stretch ratio in the width direction of the superabsorbent sheet is 1.2 times or more and 2.0 times or less compared to the unstretched state.

[0016] (7) A seventh aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to any one of (4) to (6), characterized in that the difference between the elongation ratio of the width of the highly absorbent sheet at the outermost end and the elongation ratio of the width of the highly absorbent sheet at the innermost end is 0.1 to 0.5.

[0017] (8) The eighth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (7), characterized in that the longitudinal dimension of the superabsorbent sheet is 10 mm or more and 200 mm or less, and 1% or more and 30% or less of the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article.

[0018] (9) A ninth aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the nonwoven fabric sheet has a basis weight of 30 g / m 2 More than 300g / m 2 and the apparent density is 100 kg / m or less. 3 More than 200kg / m 3 It is characterized in that:

[0019] (10) A tenth aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (9), characterized in that the nonwoven fabric sheet is a polyurethane continuous porous sheet.

[0020] (11) An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to (10), wherein the continuous polyurethane porous body sheet has a skeleton surface that is hydrophilic.

[0021] (12) The twelfth aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer is 30 g / m 2 More than 300g / m 2 It is characterized in that: Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that reliably prevents leakage in the front and rear and left and right (particularly front and rear) even with a large amount of urine and / or feces. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the top sheet side. [Diagram 2] 11A to 11C are plan views of absorbent articles according to other embodiments of the present invention, each viewed from the top sheet side. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. The present embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following content. The present invention can be carried out by appropriately modifying it within the scope of its gist. In the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to the ratios shown in the drawings.

[0025] In the description of this specification, the time when the absorbent article 1 is worn refers to at least one of the time when the absorbent article 1 is worn and the time after the absorbent article 1 is worn. The longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 is the direction extending from the front to the back of the wearer when the absorbent article 1 is worn, and is the direction indicated by the symbol Y in the figure. The width direction of the absorbent article 1 is the direction horizontal to or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is the direction indicated by the symbol X in the figure. Furthermore, the skin contact surface is the surface of each member such as the absorbent body that is placed on the skin side of the wearer when worn, and the non-skin contact surface is the surface of each member such as the absorbent body that is facing the opposite side to the skin side of the wearer when worn. Body fluids refer to liquids discharged from the body to the outside, such as urine and water in loose stool. Furthermore, examples of the absorbent article 1 include incontinence products and urine pads, but are not limited thereto, and may be other absorbent articles.

[0026] <Absorbent articles> Fig. 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the top sheet 10 side. 1 -X 1 1 or 3, the absorbent article 1 comprises a liquid-permeable top sheet 10, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 20, and an absorbent body 30 disposed between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20. As a result, the absorbent body 30 is sandwiched between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20. Although the absorbent article 1 is generally rectangular as shown in Fig. 1, it may be generally hourglass-shaped as shown in Fig. 2(c). Also, as shown in Fig. 2(c), it may be provided with fastening tape 70 for fastening the back side part and the ventral side part to form a waist opening.

[0027] The longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 1 is preferably 200 mm to 800 mm, and the width dimension is preferably 80 mm to 500 mm. By adjusting the dimensions of the absorbent article 1 to fall within the above ranges, an absorbent article 1 suitable for use as an incontinence product, a urine pad, etc. can be obtained.

[0028] <Top sheet> The top sheet 10 may be formed from a substrate having liquid permeability that allows bodily fluids to move to the absorbent 30, and may be, for example, a known hydrophilic nonwoven fabric such as a thermal bonded nonwoven fabric or a spunbonded nonwoven fabric. The top sheet 10 may be embossed or perforated on the surface in order to improve liquid permeability. As a method for carrying out such embossing or perforation, any known method may be used without limitation. In order to reduce irritation to the skin, the top sheet 10 may contain lotion, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory component, pH adjuster, antibacterial agent, moisturizer, etc. From the viewpoints of strength, processability, and liquid return, the basis weight of the top sheet 10 is 15 g / m 2 More than 200g / m 2 It is preferable that the thickness is less than 20 g / m 2 More than 80g / m 2 It is more preferable that the shape of the top sheet 10 is as follows: There are no particular limitations on the shape of the top sheet 10, so long as it has a shape that covers the absorbent body 30 and is necessary to guide bodily fluids to the absorbent body 30 without leakage.

[0029] <Back sheet> The backsheet 20 may be formed using a liquid-impermeable substrate that prevents the body fluids held by the absorbent 30 from wetting clothing, and a breathable or non-breathable, liquid-impermeable plastic film may be used.

[0030] From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the back sheet 20 is 15 g / m 2 More than 40g / m 2 It is preferable that the thickness is less than 18 g / m 2 More than 30g / m 2 It is more preferable that the following is satisfied. In order to provide breathability to the back sheet 20, for example, a filler may be blended into the resin film of the base material, or the back sheet 20 may be embossed. An example of the filler is calcium carbonate, and the blending method may be any known method without any restrictions.

[0031] <Absorbent> In the absorbent article 1 of the present invention, the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent body 30 is preferably 150 mm to 700 mm, and more preferably 200 mm to 650 mm, and the width dimension of the absorbent body 30 is preferably 50 mm to 450 mm, and more preferably 70 mm to 400 mm.

[0032] The absorbent body 30 preferably contains absorbent fibers and superabsorbent polymer (hereinafter also referred to as SAP) as a base material.

[0033] (Absorbent Fiber) The absorbent fibers are not particularly limited as long as they are those generally used in absorbent articles, and examples thereof include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, etc. Among these, it is preferable to use fluff pulp from the viewpoint of absorbency. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (for example, bleached coniferous kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine or Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, resin fiber, non-wood pulp, etc. that have been defibrated into a cotton-like state. When fluff pulp is used as the absorbent fiber as the base material for the absorbent body 30, the basis weight of the absorbent fiber is not particularly limited, but is preferably 100 g / m 2 More than 500g / m 2 It is preferable that the thickness is less than 150 g / m 2 More than 400g / m 2 It is more preferable that the absorbent body 30 absorbs more body fluids.

[0034] (SAP) The SAP contained in the absorbent 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and can be made from materials such as sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymer, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymer, and saponification products thereof. Among these, sodium polyacrylate is preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight. Furthermore, in the absorbent body 30, the ratio of the weight of SAP to the total weight of the absorbent body 30, that is, weight of SAP / total weight of absorbent body 30×100 (%), is preferably 20% or more, and more preferably 30% or more and 60% or less.

[0035] In the absorbent body 30, the absorbent fibers and SAP may be in the form of a mixture of SAP particles in the absorbent fibers, or may be in the form of a sheet with SAP particles fixed between absorbent fibers. In addition, a carrier sheet (not shown) may be provided to wrap the absorbent body 30 in order to prevent leakage of the SAP particles and to stabilize the shape of the absorbent body 30. The substrate of the carrier sheet may be any hydrophilic material, and examples of the substrate include tissue, absorbent paper, and hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics such as airlaid nonwoven fabrics. In addition, when a plurality of carrier sheets are provided, the substrates of the plurality of carrier sheets may be the same or different.

[0036] The absorbent article 1 further includes a pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 having a water-repellent or waterproof sheet along the longitudinal direction on the skin contact surface side of the top sheet 10 in order to prevent leakage of bodily fluids excreted by the wearer to the left and right (lateral leakage). The pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 are arranged such that the outer ends of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 in the width direction of the absorbent article 1 are fixed to the back sheet 20, the inner ends are fixed to the top sheet 10, and the centers are free ends that are not fixed to the top sheet 10. By providing the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 along the longitudinal direction, the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 have the ability to stand up and can be deformed to fit the body shape of the wearer. As the water-repellent or waterproof sheet of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40, for example, a known water-repellent nonwoven fabric such as an SMS (three-layer structure of spunbond, meltblown, and spunbond) nonwoven fabric or a spunbond nonwoven fabric can be used. From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 is set to 10 g / m 2 More than 100g / m 2 It is preferable that:

[0037] <Highly absorbent sheet> 1 and 3, the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 are provided with a highly absorbent sheet 50 at both longitudinal ends on the skin contact surface side. The highly absorbent sheet 50 has a nonwoven fabric sheet 51 and a highly absorbent polymer 52 enclosed between the layers of the nonwoven fabric sheet 51. By providing such highly absorbent sheets 50 containing the highly absorbent polymer 52 between the layers of the nonwoven fabric sheet 51 at both longitudinal ends of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40, it is possible to obtain an absorbent article 1 that can reliably prevent leakage of urine or loose stool from the front and rear, which could not be prevented by conventional three-dimensional gathers or absorbents. As shown in FIG. 1, the highly absorbent sheets 50 are generally rectangular, but as shown in FIG. 2(a) or FIG. 2(b), they may be cut into a generally triangular or rectangular shape. These shapes can more reliably prevent abdominal leakage and back leakage from the absorbent article 1 to the front and rear. Furthermore, by providing the cutout areas, even if a person defecates, the feces adheres to the skin-contacting surface of the highly absorbent sheet 50, preventing the feces from continuing to adhere to the skin. That is, by providing the cutout areas, the feces can reach the top sheet 10 and be maintained in the pocket space 60, thereby reducing skin rash caused by the feces. As shown in FIG. 3, the highly absorbent sheet 50 preferably has a single layer of highly absorbent polymer 52 between two layers of nonwoven fabric sheets 51.

[0038] The highly absorbent sheet 50 is preferably disposed so as to cover the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 at the longitudinal ends of the absorbent article 1. Moreover, both side ends of the highly absorbent sheet 50 are preferably joined to the widthwise ends of the top sheet 10 directly or indirectly via the sheets of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 at both side ends of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40, and a pocket space 60 is preferably formed between the highly absorbent sheet 50 and the top sheet 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the longitudinal dimension of the highly absorbent sheet 50 is preferably 10 mm or more and 200 mm or less, and is preferably 1% or more and 30% or less of the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 1. By having the dimensions and ratios of the highly absorbent sheet 50 within the above numerical ranges, abdominal leakage to the front and rear and back leakage from the absorbent article 1 can be more reliably prevented.

[0040] Furthermore, the highly absorbent sheet 50 is preferably bonded to the absorbent article 1 in a state stretched in the width direction, and the stretch ratio of the highly absorbent sheet 50 in the width direction is preferably 1.2 to 2.0 times that of the unstretched state. By bonding the highly absorbent sheet 50 to the absorbent article 1 in a stretched state at a predetermined ratio in this manner, a force is applied toward the center of the absorbent article 1 when the highly absorbent sheet 50 contracts, which causes the pair of three-dimensional gathers 40 to stand up on the skin contact surface side, thereby making it possible to form a larger pocket space 60 in the area surrounded by the highly absorbent sheet 50 and the top sheet 10, and as a result, leakage can be more effectively prevented.

[0041] Furthermore, with regard to the extension ratio of the highly absorbent sheet 50 in the width direction, it is preferable that the extension ratio of the end side width W2 is greater than the extension ratio of the center side width W1 in the longitudinal direction, and it is preferable that the difference between the extension ratio of the end side width and the center side width in the width direction of the highly absorbent sheet 50 is 0.1 to 0.5. In this way, by making the extension ratio of the end side width W2 greater than the center side width W1 and further setting a predetermined extension ratio difference between the end side width and the center side width, the pocket space 60 in the end side width W2 can be made larger than the center side width W1, and leakage can be prevented more reliably.

[0042] (Nonwoven fabric sheet) The material of the nonwoven fabric sheet 51 is preferably a polyurethane continuous porous body sheet. The polyurethane continuous porous body sheet has excellent flexibility, adhesion to the wearer's skin, and ability to follow body movements, and is therefore capable of more effectively absorbing moisture from urine and loose stools, thereby reliably preventing abdominal leakage to the front and back and providing a comfortable fit. As the polyurethane continuous porous body sheet, a single-layer sheet of urethane foam or the like can be used, but it is preferable that the skeleton surface is hydrophilic. The nonwoven fabric sheet 51 has a basis weight of 30 g / m 2 More than 300g / m 2 and an apparent density of 100 kg / m or less. 3 More than 200kg / m 3 It is preferable that:

[0043] (Superabsorbent polymer) The superabsorbent polymer 52 in the superabsorbent sheet 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, similar to the SAP contained in the absorbent 30, and can be made from materials such as sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymer, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymer, and saponification products thereof. Among these, sodium polyacrylate is preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight. The basis weight of the highly absorbent polymer 52 is 30 g / m 2 More than 300g / m 2 It is preferable that:

[0044] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, it is clear from the description of the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Absorbent articles 10 Top sheet 20 Back Seat 30 Absorbent 40 Pair of 3D gathers 50 Highly absorbent sheet 51 Nonwoven fabric sheet 52 Superabsorbent polymer 60 Pocket space 70 Fastening Tape W1 Center side width W2 End width

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, A pair of three-dimensional gathers having a water-repellent or waterproof sheet are provided along the longitudinal direction on the skin contact surface side of the top sheet, A highly absorbent sheet is provided at each of both longitudinal ends of the skin contact surface of the absorbent article, the highly absorbent sheet has a nonwoven fabric sheet and a highly absorbent polymer enclosed between the layers of the nonwoven fabric sheet, and is attached to the absorbent article in a state of being stretched in the width direction; The absorbent article is characterized in that, with regard to the stretch ratio in the width direction of the highly absorbent sheet, the stretch ratio in the end width in the longitudinal direction is greater than the stretch ratio in the central width.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein the highly absorbent sheet is disposed so as to cover the pair of standing gathers at the longitudinal end portions of the absorbent article.

3. Both side ends of the highly absorbent sheet are joined to the width direction ends of the top sheet directly or indirectly via the pair of three-dimensional gathers at both side ends of the pair of three-dimensional gathers, The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein a pocket space is formed between the highly absorbent sheet and the top sheet.

4. 4. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the stretch ratio of the high absorbency sheet in the width direction is 1.2 to 2.0 times that of an unstretched state.

5. 5. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the difference between the extension ratio of the width of the highly absorbent sheet at the outermost end and the extension ratio of the width of the highly absorbent sheet at the innermost end is 0.1 to 0.

5.

6. 6. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal dimension of the highly absorbent sheet is 10 mm or more and 200 mm or less, and 1% or more and 30% or less of the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article.

7. The nonwoven fabric sheet has a basis weight of 50 g / m ２ More than 300g / m ２ and an apparent density of 100 kg / m or less. ３ More than 200kg / m ３ 7. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that:

8. 8. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the nonwoven fabric sheet is a polyurethane continuous porous sheet.

9. 9. The absorbent article according to claim 8, wherein the polyurethane continuous porous body sheet has a skeleton surface which is hydrophilic.

10. The basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer is 30 g / m ２ More than 300g / m ２ 10. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that:

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