Absorbent article

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article that uses an absorbent body efficiently.SOLUTION: In a wearing state, an absorbent article is provided with a front body area positioned in a wearer's belly side, an inseam area positioned in an inseam, and a back body area positioned in a back side, in this order in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent article includes: an absorbent body containing the inseam area, and having the inseam area arranged in a gourd type being constricted; a top sheet arranged in the skin surface side of the absorbent body; a cover sheet arranged in the non-skin surface side of the absorbent body, and formed wider than the top sheet; and a pair of side sheets arranged in the skin surface side of the back sheet being both sides of the top sheet in the width direction of the absorbent article, and incorporating a first elastic body extended in the longitudinal direction. The top sheet and the pair of side sheets are not bonded with the cover sheet at the side of the absorbent body in the inseam area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to absorbent articles.

Background Art

[0002] Absorbents are used in diapers, which are absorbent articles. By absorbing the discharged body fluid, the absorbent prevents the body fluid from leaking outside the diaper and improves the wearing comfort of the wearer (Patent Document 1). The absorbent is wrapped in a plurality of nonwoven fabrics, and the nonwoven fabrics in the vicinity of the absorbent are adhered to each other to fix the position within the diaper.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The body fluid discharge position is the central part of the absorbent. For this reason, the discharged body fluid stays around the central part of the absorbent, and in some cases, the absorbent in the central part may absorb the body fluid beyond its capacity. When a strong pressure is applied to the diaper in this state, the body fluid may flow back to the skin, deteriorating the wearing comfort.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention provides a diaper in which a space is formed at the end of the crotch portion of the absorbent when worn, and the space communicates with the ear portion of the diaper.

[0006] Specifically, it is an absorbent article in which a front body region located on the abdominal side of the wearer, a crotch region located on the crotch, and a back body region located on the back side are provided in this order in the longitudinal direction in the worn state, including the crotch region, and the absorbent body is arranged in a ladle shape in which the crotch region is constricted, a topsheet arranged on the skin side of the absorbent body, a cover sheet arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent body and formed wider than the topsheet, and a pair of side sheets incorporating a first elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction and arranged on both sides of the topsheet in the width direction of the absorbent article and on the skin side of the back sheet, wherein the topsheet and the pair of side sheets are not adhered to the cover sheet on the side surface of the absorbent body in the crotch region, providing an absorbent article.

[0007] On the side surface of the absorbent body, in addition to the side sheet, it may be an absorbent article that is laminated with the cover sheet and rises, and is adhered to the absorbent body at the skin-side end of the absorbent body.

[0008] Also, at the longitudinal end of the absorbent body, the entire side sheet may be adhered to the topsheet to form an absorbent article.

[0009] Furthermore, it may be an absorbent article provided with a second elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction at the width-direction end of the crotch portion of the cover sheet.

[0010] In addition, the absorbent article may be such that the expansion and contraction forces of the first elastic body and the second elastic body are different from each other.

[0011] In the pair of side sheets, in the vicinity of the portion where the first elastic body exists, it may be an absorbent article that is not laminated with the cover sheet.

[0012] Note that the cover sheet may have both width-direction ends folded back to the skin side so as to cover both width-direction ends of the absorbent body from the skin side.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, since the absorber can receive and absorb body fluids over a wider range, it can efficiently absorb body fluids at a wider location without discharging the excess portion, and can absorb body fluids efficiently.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, a disposable diaper manufacturing apparatus 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 the present embodiment, for a replaceable inner pad (an example of the "absorbent article" referred to in the present application), the direction connecting the front body portion disposed to face the abdomen of the wearer and the back body portion disposed to face the back is defined as the longitudinal direction. Between these front body portions (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the back body portions (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (the center in the longitudinal direction), there is a crotch portion disposed under the crotch of the wearer (disposed to face the crotch). Further, in a state where the inner pad is worn by the wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as the "worn state"), the side facing the skin of the wearer (the inner side in the worn state) is defined as the skin side, and the opposite side of the skin side (the outer side in the worn state) is defined as the non-skin side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin side and the non-skin side is defined as the thickness direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is defined as the width direction. In addition, viewing from the thickness direction is defined as a plan view.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner pad according to an embodiment. The inner pad 1 has a crotch region 1B corresponding to the crotch of the wearer covering the pubic area 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 6 with a narrowed crotch portion 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 sheets covering the absorbent body 6 are welded with a hot melt adhesive or the like to prevent the inflow of body fluids from non-welded parts and to regulate the position of the absorbent body 6. When this inner pad 1 is attached to the inside of 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.

[0018] Furthermore, the inner pad 1 is provided with leg gathers 2 in the areas surrounding the wearer's legs (thighs) (the widthwise ends of the crotch portion) in order to prevent the formation of gaps between the inner pad 1 and the wearer's skin that could serve as a path for liquid to flow out. The leg gathers 2 extend in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad 1. Furthermore, three-dimensional gathers 3 are provided on the inner pad 1 on the inner side in the widthwise direction of the leg gathers. The inner pad 1 conforms to the wearer's body shape due to the elastic force of the elastic member contained in the leg gathers 2, and the elastic member contained in the three-dimensional gathers 3 The elasticity of the elastic member allows the pad to adhere closely to the wearer's skin. Fluid discharged from the wearer is absorbed by the absorbent body of the inner pad 1 without leaking out of the inner pad 1. As the elastic member, a thread-like or strip-like rubber or the like can be appropriately selected.

[0019] The inner pad 1 includes a side sheet 8 forming a three-dimensional gather 3, a center sheet 7, a crotch portion that is a gourd-shaped absorber 6, and a cover sheet 4 having a leg gather 2, and they are laminated in order from the skin side to the non-skin side. The absorber 6 is wrapped by a core wrap sheet 5 (not shown). There is no absorber 6 at the front hip end portion and the rear hip end portion of the inner pad, and all the sheets are adhered.

[0020] The side sheet 8 is a non-hydrophilic non-woven fabric with moisture permeability. As described above, since the side sheet 8 adheres closely to the skin as the three-dimensional gather 3, the body fluid contacting the side sheet 8 does not leak in the width direction of the inner pad 1 and is sequentially absorbed by the absorber 6. The center sheet 7 is a non-woven fabric with a good touch and hydrophilicity. It contacts the skin to directly receive the body fluid and plays a role of sequentially absorbing it into the absorber 6. Also, it prevents the backflow of the body fluid already absorbed by the absorber 6.

[0021] The absorber 6 has a structure in which a granular absorbent resin such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), which is a polymer water-absorbing material having a cross-linked structure capable of absorbing and holding liquid in the gaps between fibers obtained by subjecting cellulose fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers configured in a cotton-like form, and synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate to a hydrophilic treatment, is held.

[0022] The fibers can rapidly absorb body fluid, but have a low holding force. When a strong pressure is applied, the absorbed body fluid flows back to the body surface. Conversely, the polymer water-absorbing material that has absorbed and gelled the body fluid can strongly hold the body fluid, but it takes a certain amount of time for body fluid absorption and gelation. By forming the absorber 6 as a combination of fibers such as pulp configured in a cotton-like form and a granular polymer water-absorbing material, the body fluid rapidly absorbed by the fiber portion can be sequentially absorbed and gelled and fixed by the polymer water-absorbing material. With this configuration, the absorber 6 can immediately absorb the body fluid and does not ooze out to the skin surface due to external pressure, causing discomfort to the user.

[0023] The absorber 6 is wrapped in a thin core wrap sheet 5 (absorbent paper). The core wrap sheet 5 is a non-woven fabric or tissue paper that has hydrophilicity and allows moisture to permeate easily, and has the function of wrapping and fixing the absorber 6 in the manufacturing process. By wrapping the absorber 6 with the core wrap sheet 5, it is possible to prevent the contents of the absorber 6 (especially granular superabsorbent material) from leaking during the manufacture of the inner pad 1 and contaminating the production line. Also, during manufacturing, the contents of the absorber 6 move, for example, the superabsorbent material enters a place where the superabsorbent material is not deliberately arranged in order to efficiently disperse body fluid, etc., and it is possible to prevent a situation where the absorber 6 does not perform its intended function.

[0024] The cover sheet 4 is provided to suppress leakage of body fluid from the inner pad 1 and to improve the reinforcement and handling of the entire inner pad 1. For example, in order to suppress leakage of body fluid, a liquid-impermeable non-woven fabric made of a thermoplastic resin can be used as the material. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The cover sheet 4 is not limited to a single-layer structure, and may have a multi-layer structure having an inner cover sheet and an outer cover sheet. Information such as the type and wearing direction of the inner pad 1 may be printed on the non-skin side of the cover sheet 4. A leg gather 2 is incorporated on the cover sheet 4. By the leg gather 2, the crotch portion of the inner pad 1 is biased to conform to the shape of the thigh. The cover sheet 4 has both widthwise ends folded back to the skin side so as to cover both widthwise ends of the absorber 6 from the skin side. Therefore, in FIG. 1, both widthwise ends of the absorber 6 covered by the cover sheet 4 are shown by broken lines.

[0025] The elastic forces of the elastic members used for the leg gathers 2 and the three-dimensional gathers 3 can be made different. For example, the leg gathers 2 strongly bias the inner pad 1 so that the inner pad 1 conforms to the shape of the thigh. On the other hand, although the three-dimensional gathers 3 are biased to closely adhere to the skin so as not to let body fluid escape outside the thigh, if they are biased too strongly, it will cause discomfort to the wearer. Therefore, the degree of biasing may be set relatively weakly. Note that the inner pad 1 is an absorbent article used in combination with diapers, pants, etc., and since it does not need to conform to the shape of the thigh only by its own force, the degree of biasing of the leg gathers 2 can be minimized and made lower than that of the three-dimensional gathers 3.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad according to the embodiment. Specifically, it is a view of the inner pad 1 cut along the line A-A shown in FIG. 1. The inner pad 1 is laminated on the skin side in the order of the back sheet 4, the absorber 6, and the center sheet 7 from the non-skin side. The absorber 6 is protected by the core wrap sheet 5. In the example of this figure, specifically, the absorber 6 is protected by two core wrap sheets 5A and 5B.

[0027] A side sheet 8 is disposed on the side surface of the absorber 6 protected by the core wrap sheet 5. An elastic body is incorporated at the tip of the side sheet 8 and functions as the three-dimensional gathers 3 that closely adhere to the skin. The side sheet 8 and the cover sheet 4 rise on the side surface of the absorber 6 and are adhered on the skin side at the widthwise end of the absorber 6 together with the center sheet. By configuring in this way, the body fluid that has flowed to the side sheet 8 is absorbed by the absorber 6 directly below it while leakage is suppressed by the side sheet 8 and the cover sheet 4. For this reason, the body fluid does not remain in the side sheet 8 as a liquid for a long time, and the wearing comfort of the inner pad 1 is improved.

[0028] Note that although the adhered side sheet 8 and the cover sheet 4 are adhered so as to overlap both ends in the width direction of the absorber to a certain extent, they do not overlap up to the ends of the three-dimensional gathers 3. The ends of the three-dimensional gathers 3 are composed of only the side sheet 8. In this way, by forming a part of the three-dimensional gathers 3 from only the side sheet 8, it is possible to prevent leakage of body fluid from the three-dimensional gathers 3 while ensuring the breathability sacrificed by the presence of the cover sheet 4.

[0029] The absorber 6 and the core wrap sheet 5 are adhered with a hot melt adhesive, and the core wrap sheet and the center sheet 7 are also adhered with a hot melt adhesive. Generally, other adhesives may be used for adhesion. Also, when the core wrap sheet 5 is a non-woven fabric, heat welding may be used for adhesion to other sheets.

[0030] The absorber is not simply formed by mixing fibers and a superabsorbent polymer, but is designed and arranged so as to appropriately perform the functions of the absorbent article. The absorber 6 in the present embodiment is formed by being divided into a plurality of layers. Specifically, the absorber 6 in the present embodiment is composed of two layers, a first absorber 6A made of SAP particles and fibers existing on the non-skin side, and a second absorber 6B made of SAP particles and fibers existing on the skin side. The first absorber is wider in the width direction than the second absorber. Further, the absorber 6 has an interlayer SAP 6C in which SAP particles are arranged between the first absorber 6A and the second absorber 6B. In this way, by forming the absorber into a two-layer structure, the absorber 6 becomes flexible and easily follows the skin surface.

[0031] The first absorber 6A and the second absorber 6B constituting the absorber 6 are wider in the width direction for the first absorber 6A. When the user actually wears the inner pad 1 configured as described above, pressure is applied so that the side sheet 8 and the back sheet 4 rising on the side surface of the absorber 6 spread in the width direction. The side sheet 8 and the absorber 6 are adhered at the widthwise end on the skin side, and pressure in the width direction is also applied to the absorber 6. When the absorber 6 is expanded in the width direction, both ends of the absorber 6 in the width direction On the end muscle surface side, a space portion 6D is formed. Of course, it is not always necessary to form the absorber in a layered structure, and a certain amount of space can be generated by the pressure between the sheets.

[0032] As described above, the elastic forces of the three-dimensional gathers 3 and the elastic members arranged in the leg gathers 2 can also be made different. Due to the difference in elastic force, the absorber 6 is attracted in the direction with a stronger elastic force. As a result, the size of the space portion 6D can be ensured. Further, the center sheet 7, the cover sheet 4, and the side sheet 8 are adhered on the end muscle surface side in the width direction of the absorber 6, and the ends of the cover sheet 4 and the side sheet 8 are not adhered. Therefore, a space is generated between the center sheet 7 and the cover sheet 4 at the width direction ends.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of body fluid according to the embodiment. The body fluid discharged from the human body is discharged to the crotch portion 1B and flows in the width direction and also in the direction of the side sheet 8 while being absorbed by the absorber 6. The body fluid that reaches the width direction ends of the side sheet 8 and the absorber 6 is introduced into the space portion 6D. Since the width direction both ends of the cover sheet 4 are folded back to the muscle surface side so as to cover both ends in the width direction of the absorber 6 from the muscle surface side, the body fluid introduced into the space portion 6D does not leak out from the space portion 6D to the outside of the cover sheet 4. Therefore, the body fluid introduced into the space portion 6D flows along the space portion 6D to the crotch ear portion and is absorbed at the crotch ear portion. In this way, the space portion 6D produces the same effect as when slots are provided at the ends of the absorber 6. Generally, it is rare for body fluid to reach the crotch ear portion, and the absorber at the crotch ear portion does not play a role. However, in this embodiment, due to the effect of the space portion 6D, the absorber in the inner pad 1 of this embodiment can be used efficiently, and more body fluid can be absorbed.

[0034] The features of the present invention have been described above. However, the content of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Since the inner pad is folded and distributed, there are a plurality of folds in the longitudinal direction. For example, by not performing adhesion between layers at this fold portion, it is possible to create a flow path for body fluid not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the width direction, and the effect of the space portion 6D can be more effectively exerted.

[0035] In addition, in the present application, the content of the invention has been described by taking the inner pad as an example. However, the present invention can also be used for pants-type diapers and tape-type diapers having a similar absorber by adjusting the configuration of the laminated sheets and the biasing body.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1 ··· Inner Pad 2 ··· Leg Gather 3 ··· Three-dimensional Gather 4 ··· Cover Sheet 5, 5A, 5B ··· Core Wrap Sheet 6 ··· Absorber 6A ··· First Absorber 6B ··· Second Absorber 6C ··· Interlayer SAP 6D ··· Space Portion 7 ··· Center Sheet HM ··· Hot Melt

Claims

1. An absorbent article in which a front body region located on the abdominal side of the wearer, a crotch region located in the crotch, and a back body region located on the back side are provided in this order in the longitudinal direction in the worn state, An absorber including the crotch region and arranged in a ladle shape in which the crotch region is constricted, A topsheet arranged on the skin side of the absorber, A cover sheet arranged on the non-skin side of the absorber and formed wider than the topsheet, A pair of side sheets incorporating first elastic bodies extending in the longitudinal direction and arranged on both sides of the topsheet in the width direction of the absorbent article and on the skin side of the cover sheet, comprising, The topsheet and the pair of side sheets are not adhered to the cover sheet on the side surface of the absorber in the crotch region, The absorber has a first absorber arranged on the non-skin side and a second absorber arranged on the skin side of the first absorber and narrower than the first absorber in the width direction, Space portions are formed on the skin side of both end portions of the first absorber in the width direction and outside the second absorber in the width direction, The skin side of the space portion is in contact with a water-permeable sheet, Absorbent article.

2. On the side surface of the crotch region of the absorber, in addition to the side sheet, it is laminated with the cover sheet and rises, The absorber and the side sheet are adhered to each other at the end portion on the skin side of the absorber, The absorbent article according to claim 1.

3. At the longitudinal end of the absorber, the entire side sheet is adhered to the topsheet, The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2.

4. At the widthwise end of the cover sheet in the crotch region, Comprising a second elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The elastic forces of the first elastic body and the second elastic body are different from each other. The absorbent article according to claim 4.

6. In the pair of side sheets, in the vicinity of the portion where the first elastic body is present, It is not laminated with the cover sheet. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. The cover sheet has both widthwise ends folded back toward the skin side so as to cover both widthwise ends of the absorbent body from the skin side. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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