Single-piece absorbent article

Abstract

To provide an individual package absorbent article capable of facilitating positioning in wearing of the absorbent article so as to quickly wear the absorbent article individually packaged.SOLUTION: An absorbent article comprising a deviation preventing adhesive agent layer 8 for being fixed to an underwear, is folded with an individually packaging sheet 20 fixed to an external face of a peeling sheet 13 and the peeling sheet 13 covering the deviation preventing adhesive agent 8 so that the peeling sheet can be peeled freely, in a longitudinal direction at a fold line in a width direction, and individually packaged by the individually packaging sheet 20. Each of the peeling sheet 13 and the individually packaging sheet 20 is formed on a front part F and a rear part B including, a body fluid discharge part of a wearer in wearing of the absorbent article so as to be peeled. By removing the peeling sheet 13 and the individually packaging sheet 20 on the front part F, the deviation preventing adhesive agent layer 8 on the front part F is exposed, and the front part F of the absorbent article where the peeling sheet 13 and packaging sheet 20 are arranged on the rear part B, can be fixed to an underwear of the wearer first.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an individually packaged absorbent article in which absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, pantiliners, kotex sheets, and incontinence pads are folded together with an individual packaging sheet and individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as the absorbent article 50, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, between a liquid-impermeable back sheet 51 made of a polyethylene laminate nonwoven fabric or the like and a liquid-permeable front sheet 52 made of a nonwoven fabric or a perforated plastic sheet or the like, an absorber 53 made of cotton-like pulp or the like is interposed, and in order to prevent displacement from underwear in the worn state, one or a plurality of adhesive layers 54 are formed on the non-skin contact surface (the outer surface of the back sheet 51), which is known.

[0003] In order to individually package the absorbent article 50, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the adhesive layer 54 is covered with a release sheet 55 made of paper or film, and an individual packaging sheet 56 is disposed on the outer surface side of the absorbent article 50. The absorbent article 50, the release sheet 55, and the individual packaging sheet 56 are all folded three or four times in the longitudinal direction along an appropriate widthwise fold line 57, and the side edge portions and the opening portion are sealed.

[0004] In order to wear the absorbent article 50 individually packaged in this way on underwear, as shown in FIG. 21, it is opened from the opening portion, and all of the individual packaging sheet 56 and the release sheet 55 are removed from the absorbent article 50, and in a state where the adhesive layer 54 is exposed, it is adhered to the inner surface of the underwear.

[0005] As something that reduces the labor of wearing the absorbent article N as underwear, for example, there are Patent Documents 1 and 2 below. In Patent Document 1, a packaging sheet is detachably joined to a region facing the excretion part on the back sheet side of the absorbent article via a main body displacement prevention part having adhesiveness. On the surface sheet side corresponding to the region facing the excretion part, with the surface sheet side facing inward, the front part and the rear part in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article are folded and covered with the packaging sheet. The packaging sheet has an opening part of an individual package at a position facing the region facing the excretion part on the back sheet side. When the opening part is opened, the detachable joined state between the front part and the rear part on the back sheet side of the absorbent article and the packaging sheet is maintained, and an individual package of the absorbent article in which the folded structure of the absorbent article is maintained is disclosed. In such an individual package, by pulling and peeling the packaging sheet in the front-rear direction in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article with the opening part as a base point and first exposing only the region facing the excretion part of the absorbent article, it is possible to accurately position the region facing the excretion part to correspond to the excretion part of the wearer while maintaining a compact individual package state.

[0006] Also, in Patent Document 2, an individually packaged absorbent article is disclosed in which the absorbent article is in an individually packaged state, with the middle part in the longitudinal direction as the top and the front and rear parts thereof folded toward the liquid-permeable surface sheet side respectively, and a peeling start end of a peeling sheet and a packaging sheet covering the displacement prevention adhesive layer of the absorbent article is provided at a position corresponding to the top. In such an absorbent article, the peeling sheet and the packaging sheet are peeled off from the peeling start end, and only the displacement prevention adhesive layer near the top is exposed, and only the vicinity of this top is fixed to the underwear first.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In both Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, the packaging sheet and the release sheet are peeled off from the opening provided in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, and in a state where a part of the anti-displacement adhesive layer is exposed, this part is first fixed to the underwear. As a result, it has advantages such as being easy to adjust the fixing position. However, after determining the fixing position, it is impossible to wear the absorbent article without going through the procedure of removing all of the packaging sheet and the release sheet, unfolding the front and rear parts of the absorbent article folded in the longitudinal direction, and fixing the anti-displacement adhesive layer to the underwear. There was a problem that there were many work procedures and it took a considerable amount of time until the wearing was completed.

[0009] Further, in the conventional absorbent article 50 described above, since the individual packaging sheet 56 and the release sheet 55 are all removed at the time of opening and the adhesive layer 54 is completely exposed and fixed to the underwear, it takes time to remove all of the individual packaging sheet and the release sheet, and the adjustment of the fixing position such as the front-rear direction position adjustment so that the appropriate area of the absorbent article hits the body fluid discharge part of the wearer and the rotational direction angle adjustment so that the rear central part of the absorbent article follows the buttock groove takes time.

[0010] In daily life during the menstrual period, for example, when getting out of the bath, there is a problem that menstrual blood comes out and the legs, towel, floor, etc. get dirty while wiping the body, taking care of children, or attaching a sanitary napkin to the underwear. For this reason, there has been a desire to first attach and wear the absorbent article to the underwear only in the blood discharge area.

[0011] In particular, since night-time sanitary napkins are formed long at the rear so as to cover the wearer's gluteal cleft, it takes time to remove the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet from the individual package and take out the sanitary napkin, and then it takes time to attach it to the appropriate position of the underwear while adjusting the fixed position. There was a problem that the annoyance increased due to repeatedly reattaching the attachment position many times from impatience or the adhesive layer sticking to an unintended part.

[0012] In addition, because there was an increasing sense of anxiety to avoid being soiled by menstrual blood and trying to quickly attach it to the underwear, there was a problem that the wearing position was likely to shift.

[0013] Therefore, the main problem of the present invention is to provide an individually packaged absorbent article that can be quickly worn and is easy to align during wearing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0014] As a first aspect for solving the above problems, an absorbent article having a displacement-preventing adhesive layer for fixing to underwear is folded longitudinally along a folding line in the width direction together with a release sheet that removably covers the displacement-preventing adhesive layer and an individual packaging sheet fixed to the outer surface side of the release sheet, and is an individually packaged absorbent article individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet, the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet are each separably formed into a front part including a region corresponding to the wearer's body fluid discharge part during wearing and the front part a rear part behind the front part, The front end of the release sheet of the rear part is folded back in the longitudinal direction, and the release sheet of the rear part is fixed to the individual packaging sheet only by the fixing part provided at the folded end. An individually packaged absorbent article is provided, characterized in that the front part of the absorbent article, in which the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the front part are removed to expose the displacement-preventing adhesive layer of the front part and the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the rear part are left in place, can be fixed to the underwear first.

[0015] In the first aspect described above, the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet are each separably formed into a front portion and a rear portion including a region corresponding to the body fluid discharge part of the wearer at the time of wearing. To take out the absorbent article from such an individually packaged absorbent article and attach it to underwear, remove the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the front portion from the absorbent article to expose the alignment adhesive layer of the front portion, and keep the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion in place. Then, fix the front portion of this absorbent article to the underwear in advance. In this way, when it is desired to quickly cover at least the body fluid discharge part first with the absorbent article, it is possible to fix and wear only the minimum area (the front portion including the region corresponding to the body fluid discharge part) to the underwear first, so that the wearing time can be shortened and quick wearing becomes possible. Further, since the alignment adhesive layer of the rear portion is covered with the release sheet, it is easy to align the position without the rear portion sticking to an unintended part.

[0016] After fixing and wearing the front portion to the underwear in this way and calming down, put your hand into the underwear, pull out the individual packaging sheet and the release sheet of the rear portion, and fix the rear portion to the underwear.

[0017] This In this aspect, the front end portion of the release sheet of the rear portion is folded back in the longitudinal direction, and the release sheet of the rear portion is fixed to the individual packaging sheet only by the fixing portion provided at this folded-back end portion. Therefore, after fixing and wearing the front portion of the absorbent article to the underwear and putting your hand into the underwear to pull out the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion, the release sheet can be surely peeled off from the front end portion of the alignment adhesive layer of the rear portion, and the release sheet can be easily peeled off.

[0018] As a second aspect, there is provided an individually packaged absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein a mark distinguishable by the tactile sensation of the hand is provided at the center of the rear end of the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion.

[0019] In the above-described second aspect, after fixing the front part of the absorbent article to the underwear and wearing it, put your hand into the underwear. In order to make it easier to pull out the individual package sheet and the release sheet at the rear part, a mark that can be identified by the tactile sensation of the hand is provided at the center of the rear end of the individual package sheet at the rear part.

[0020] As a third aspect, there is provided an individually packaged absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the mark is formed by a knob portion protruding rearward from the center of the rear end of the individual package sheet at the rear part.

[0021] In the above-described third aspect, since the mark is formed by a knob portion protruding rearward from the center of the rear end of the individual package sheet at the rear part, this knob portion can be pinched by hand and easily pulled out.

[0022] Article 4 As an aspect, there is provided an individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a fixing portion for fixing the release sheet and the individual package sheet at the rear part is located on the rear side of the folding line closest to the fixing portion.

[0023] In the above-described 4 aspect, after fixing the front part of the absorbent article to the underwear and wearing it, when putting your hand into the underwear and pulling out the individual package sheet at the rear part, due to the folding habit of the absorbent article during individual packaging, it gets caught at the folding position, making it difficult to pull out the individual package sheet and the release sheet at the rear part. Therefore, the fixing portion is provided on the rear side of the folding line closest to the fixing portion.

[0024] Article 5 As an aspect, there is provided an individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the individual package sheet is provided with perforations along the boundary between the front part and the rear part.

[0025] In the above-described 5 aspect, as a first means for making the individual package sheet separable between the front part and the rear part, perforations are provided along the boundary between the front part and the rear part of the individual package sheet.

[0026] No. 6 As an aspect of No. 5 The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to

[0027] In the above No. 6 In the aspect of No.

[0028] No. 7 As an aspect of No. 6 The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to

[0029] In the above No. 7 In the aspect of No.

[0030] No. 8 As an aspect of No. 7 The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to

[0031] In the above No. 8 In the aspect of No.

Advantages of the Invention

[0032] According to the present invention as described in detail above, individually packaged absorbent articles can be quickly worn, and it is easier to align them during wearing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0033]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0035] The individually packaged sanitary napkin N according to the present invention is such that the sanitary napkin 1 is folded in the longitudinal direction together with the individual packaging sheet 20, and the sanitary napkin 1 is individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet 20.

[0036] 〔Basic Structure of Sanitary Napkin 1〕 First, the basic structure of the sanitary napkin 1 will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0037] The sanitary napkin 1 includes a liquid-impermeable back sheet 2 made of a polyethylene sheet, a polypropylene sheet, or the like, a liquid-permeable front sheet 3 that quickly permeates menstrual blood, vaginal discharge, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as body fluid), an absorber 4 made of cotton pulp or synthetic pulp interposed between these two sheets 2 and 3, and a wrapper sheet 5 made of crepe paper or non-woven fabric that surrounds the absorber 4 to maintain the shape of the absorber 4 and improve its diffusibility, and side sheets 7 disposed along the front-rear direction on both sides of the skin-contact surface side. Around the absorber 4, at the front and rear edge portions, the outer edges of the back sheet 2 and the front sheet 3 are joined by a joining means such as an adhesive like hot melt, heat sealing, or ultrasonic sealing. Also, at both side edge portions, the back sheet 2 extending laterally beyond the absorber 4 and the side sheet 7 are joined by a joining means such as an adhesive like hot melt, heat sealing, or ultrasonic sealing, thereby forming a flap portion without an intervening absorber. Note that a second sheet made of a porous plastic film or non-woven fabric may be disposed between the front sheet 3 and the absorber 4 and adjacent to the non-skin side of the front sheet 3.

[0038] Hereinafter, the structure of the sanitary napkin 1 will be described in further detail. The back sheet 2 is made of a sheet material having at least water-blocking properties such as polyethylene. However, it is desirable to use a material having moisture permeability from the viewpoint of preventing stuffiness. As this water-blocking and moisture-permeable sheet material, a microporous sheet obtained by melt-kneading an inorganic filler in an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, forming a sheet, and then stretching it in one or two axial directions is preferably used. As the back sheet 2, a poly-laminated non-woven fabric obtained by laminating a plastic film and a non-woven fabric may be used. On the non-skin side (outer surface) of the back sheet 2 in the main body portion where the absorber 4 is interposed, one or a plurality of, in the illustrated example, three alignment adhesive layers 8 are formed along the front-rear direction of the napkin, and the sanitary napkin 1 is fixed to the inner surface of the underwear when worn on the body.

[0039] Next, as the surface sheet 3, a perforated or non-perforated non-woven fabric, a porous plastic sheet, or the like is preferably used. As the material fibers constituting the non-woven fabric, synthetic fibers such as olefin-based fibers such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyester-based fibers, polyamide-based fibers, etc., regenerated fibers such as rayon or cupra, and natural fibers such as cotton can be used, and non-woven fabrics obtained by appropriate processing methods such as the spunlace method, the spunbond method, the thermal bond method, the meltblown method, and the needle punch method can be used. Among these processing methods, the spunlace method is excellent in terms of flexibility and drapability, and the thermal bond method is excellent in terms of bulkiness and high compression resilience. When a large number of through holes are formed in the surface sheet 3, body fluids can be quickly absorbed, and the surface sheet 3 has excellent dry touch properties. The fibers of the non-woven fabric may be either long fibers or short fibers, but short fibers are preferably used to give a towel-like texture. Also, in order to facilitate embossing, those made of olefin-based fibers such as relatively low-melting polyethylene or polypropylene are preferably used. Also, core-sheath type fibers, side-by-side type fibers, and composite fibers of segmented fibers with high-melting fibers as the core and low-melting fibers as the sheath can also be preferably used.

[0040] The absorber 4 interposed between the back sheet 2 and the surface sheet 3 is composed of, for example, cotton-like pulp and a water-absorbing polymer. The water-absorbing polymer is mixed into the pulp constituting the absorber as, for example, granular powder. Examples of the pulp include those made of cellulose fibers such as chemical pulp and dissolving pulp obtained from wood, and artificial cellulose fibers such as rayon and acetate. Coniferous pulp with longer fiber length is preferably used in terms of function and price compared to broadleaf pulp.

[0041] In addition, synthetic fibers may be mixed into the absorber 4. Examples of the synthetic fibers that can be used include polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon, and copolymers thereof. Further, two of these may be mixed. Also, composite fibers such as core-sheath type fibers having a high-melting-point fiber as the core and a low-melting-point fiber as the sheath, side-by-side type fibers, and split-type fibers can also be used. It is desirable to use the synthetic fibers that have been surface-treated with a hydrophilizing agent in the case of hydrophobic fibers so as to have an affinity for body fluids.

[0042] In the illustrated example, the width dimension of the surface sheet 3 is slightly longer than the width of the absorber 4 as shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3 and 4, and it only covers the absorber 4. On the outer side thereof, a side sheet 7 different from the surface sheet 3 is provided. Specifically, a side sheet 7 made of a non-woven fabric material that has been appropriately subjected to a water-repellent treatment or a hydrophilic treatment according to the purpose of preventing penetration of menstrual blood, vaginal discharge, etc. or enhancing the tactile sensation is provided. As such a side sheet 7, those formed by an appropriate processing method using natural fibers, synthetic fibers, recycled fibers, etc. as materials can be used. Preferably, a non-woven fabric with a suppressed basis weight and air permeability is used to eliminate the feeling of stiffness and prevent stuffiness.

[0043] The side sheet 7 is adhered by an adhesive such as hot melt over a range from the outer portion of the intermediate portion in the width direction to the outer edge of the back sheet 2 at a predetermined inner position. A side flap portion where the absorber 4 is not interposed is formed on both sides of the absorber 4 by the laminated sheet portion of the side sheet 7 and the back sheet 2.

[0044] This side flap portion forms a pair of left and right wing-shaped flap portions W, W on the side portion positions substantially corresponding to the body fluid discharge portion H of the wearer, with the extension amount from the side edge of the absorber 4 being enlarged compared to the portions before and after it. Further, on the hip side (rear side) position from this, a pair of left and right hip hold flap portions W B , W B are formed. As shown in FIG. 2, on the outer surface side (the outer surface side of the back sheet 2) of these wing-shaped flap portions W, W and hip hold flap portions W B , W B , there are provided a wing adhesive layer 10 and a hip hold adhesive layer 11 respectively. When wearing on the underwear, the wing-shaped flap portions W, W are folded back to the opposite side (back sheet 2 side) at the folding line RL (see FIG. 1) of the base end portion, wound around the crotch portion of the underwear, and the wing adhesive layer 10 is fixed to the outer surface of the crotch portion of the underwear, and the hip hold adhesive layer 11 is fixed to the inner surface of the underwear, so as to cover the wearer's hips during wearing.

[0045] On the other hand, the inner side portion of the side sheet 7 is substantially folded back doubly, and at the longitudinal intermediate portion inside this double sheet, one or a plurality of, in the illustrated example, three thread-like elastic stretch members 9 with both ends or appropriate positions in the longitudinal direction fixed are disposed in an extended state. As shown in FIG. 4 at the front and rear end portions of this double sheet portion, a non-standing portion is formed which is folded back once to the outside and laminated and adhered to the absorber 4 side. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the arrangement range of the thread-like elastic stretch members 9 at the longitudinal intermediate portion forms a pair of left and right three-dimensional gathers BS, BS that stand up to the skin side due to the contraction force of the thread-like elastic stretch members 9.

[0046] The displacement-preventing adhesive layer 8 includes a front portion F including a region corresponding to the body fluid discharge portion H of the wearer when the sanitary napkin 1 is worn, and the front part FIt may be provided in a continuous linear shape across the rear part B behind [[ID=]], but it is preferable to separate and arrange it in the front part F and the rear part B because it is easier to open. That is, preferably, the misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8 is composed of a front misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8F disposed in the front part F and a rear misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8B disposed in the rear part B, and a separation part is provided between the front misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8F and the rear misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8B, which is spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin 1.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, squeezing grooves 12 are formed in a predetermined form on the skin-contact surface side of the surface sheet 3. The squeezing grooves 12 are concave grooves that integrally depress the surface sheet 3 and the absorber 4 toward the back sheet 2 side by squeezing from the skin-contact surface side of the surface sheet 3. The squeezing grooves 12 are provided symmetrically in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction on both sides of at least the region corresponding to the body fluid discharge part H of the wearer.

[0048] 〔Individually Packaged Sanitary Napkin N〕 The misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8 provided on the non-skin side surface of the main body portion is detachably covered by a release sheet 13. As the release sheet 13, a sheet made of plastic or paper obtained by applying or spray-applying a release treatment liquid such as a silicone-based resin, a fluorine-based resin, or a tetrafluoroethylene-based resin to the contact surface with the misalignment-preventing adhesive layer 8 and performing a release treatment can be used. Note that, as long as it does not substantially cause a decrease in adhesive force without particularly performing a release treatment, it may be the film itself or the non-woven fabric itself.

[0049] When the deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8 is provided in a continuous linear shape that is continuous between the front portion F and the rear portion B, the release sheet 13 is formed in a continuous sheet shape having a breakable portion that can be separated at the time of opening at the boundary between the front portion F and the rear portion B, or is pre-separated into a front release sheet 13F for the front portion F and a rear release sheet 13B for the rear portion B, and is arranged so as to have no gap or a slight overlap at the boundary therebetween. As the breakable portion, any one or a combination of two or more of a perforation provided along the boundary between the front portion F and the rear portion B, notch portions provided on both side portions of the boundary between the front portion F and the rear portion B, and a breakable sheet material provided at the boundary portion between the front portion F and the rear portion B can be used.

[0050] On the other hand, when the deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8 is separately arranged as a front deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8F for the front portion F and a rear deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8B for the rear portion B, the release sheet 13 uses a pre-separated arrangement of a front release sheet 13F that detachably covers the front deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8F and a rear release sheet 13B that detachably covers the rear deviation-preventing adhesive layer 8B.

[0051] In the sanitary napkin 1 having either or both of the wing-shaped flap portion W and the hip-holding flap portion W B both side portions of the corresponding portion of the release sheet 13 extend outward in the width direction so as to cover the wing adhesive layer 10 and the hip-holding adhesive layer 11. In the illustrated example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a wing release sheet 14 that is long in the width direction of the sanitary napkin 1 and integrally covers the left and right wing adhesive layers 10 is fixed to the front release sheet 13F at the overlapping portion with the front release sheet 13F by a fixing portion 15 composed of joining means such as an adhesive such as hot melt, heat seal, ultrasonic seal, etc., and a hip-holding release sheet 16 that is long in the width direction of the sanitary napkin 1 and integrally covers the left and right hip-holding adhesive layers 11 is fixed to the rear release sheet 13B at the overlapping portion with the rear release sheet 13B by a fixing portion 17 composed of joining means such as an adhesive such as hot melt, heat seal, ultrasonic seal, etc.

[0052] The peeling sheet 13 is non - removably fixed to the individual packaging sheet 20 at predetermined fixing parts 18 and 19. "Non - removable" and "fixed" mean that the fixing state between the individual packaging sheet 20 and the peeling sheet 9 is not released by the tensile force when taking out the sanitary napkin 1 when opening the individually - packaged sanitary napkin N. The fixing part 11 is composed of bonding means such as adhesives like hot - melt, heat - sealing, ultrasonic sealing, etc. In the illustrated example, the front peeling sheet 13F is fixed to the individual packaging sheet 20 (front individual packaging sheet 20F described later) at fixing parts 18 provided at the front end part and the rear end part of the front peeling sheet 13F respectively, and the rear peeling sheet 13B is fixed to the individual packaging sheet 20 (rear individual packaging sheet 20B described later) at a fixing part 19 provided at the front end part of the rear peeling sheet 13B.

[0053] The individual packaging sheet 20 for individually packaging the sanitary napkin 1 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a substantially rectangular sheet defined by a pair of left - and - right longitudinal side edges 20a corresponding to the longitudinal direction (front - to - rear direction) of the sanitary napkin 1, and a pair of short - side edges 20b and 20c corresponding to the short - hand direction (width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin 1. Dimensionally, as shown in FIG. 7, in terms of the short - hand dimension, it is formed with dimensions extending on both sides wider than the width dimension in a state where the flap parts (wing - shaped flap part W and hip - hold flap part W B ) folded inward are included. Also, in terms of the longitudinal dimension, at least one end side (the unsealing edge 20b side where the pouch tape 21 is provided) extends outside the front - side edge of the sanitary napkin 1, and the other end side (20c side) may be longer than the rear - side edge of the sanitary napkin 1 as in the illustrated example, or may be shorter than the rear - side edge of the sanitary napkin 1. Preferably, as will be described later, it is better to make it longer than the rear - side edge of the sanitary napkin 1 so that the rear end part of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B can be easily picked up by hand and pulled out.

[0054] The individual packaging sheet 20 is formed to be separable into the front part F and the rear part B. That is, before the opening of the individually packaged sanitary napkin N, the individual packaging sheet 20 is continuously formed from the front part F to the rear part B, and at the time of opening, it can be separated into the front individual packaging sheet 20F and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B by cutting at the boundary between the front part F and the rear part B. Thereby, since the sanitary napkin 1 is covered by the individual packaging sheet 20 before opening, the sanitary condition can be maintained.

[0055] In order to form the individual packaging sheet 20 to be separable, any one or a combination of two or more of the following means (1) to (3) can be adopted.

[0056] (1) As shown in FIG. 2, by providing a perforation 23 along the boundary between the front part F and the rear part B of the individual packaging sheet 20, it can be made separable.

[0057] (2) As shown in FIG. 6(A), by providing cutout portions 24 on both sides of the boundary between the front part F and the rear part B of the individual packaging sheet 20, it can be made separable.

[0058] (3) As shown in FIG. 6(B), by forming the boundary part between the front part F and the rear part B of the individual packaging sheet 20 with a sheet material 25 having easy breakability, it can be made separable. The sheet material 25 is made of a material having a breaking strength such that a person can easily break it when the individual packaging sheet 20 is picked up by hand at the time of opening. Specifically, paper or an easily breakable plastic film can be used. The sheet material 25 is arranged such that the front individual packaging sheet 20 and the rear individual packaging sheet 20 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin 1, and the sheet material 25 is arranged in this spaced part, and both ends are fixed to each individual packaging sheet 20 with an adhesive such as hot melt.

[0059] The above means (1) to (3) may be used individually or in combination of two or more means. Examples of combinations include providing the perforations 23 and providing cutout portions 24 at both ends thereof, or providing a frangible sheet material 25 at the boundary between the front portion F and the rear portion B, and then providing perforations 23 in this sheet material 25 and providing cutout portions 24 at both ends thereof, etc.

[0060] Next, a method of individually packaging the sanitary napkin 1 with the individual packaging sheet 20 will be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a release sheet 13 is fixed to the upper surface of the individual packaging sheet 20 by fixing portions 18 and 19, and the sanitary napkin 1 is disposed on the upper surface of this release sheet 13. In an actual manufacturing process, the anti-shift adhesive layer 8 is applied on the release sheet 13, and when the sanitary napkin 1 is disposed on this release sheet 13, the anti-shift adhesive layer 8 is transferred to the outer surface of the back sheet 2.

[0061] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, flap portions (wing-shaped flaps W and hip-holding flap portions W B ) protruding outward in the width direction from the main body portion are folded toward the surface sheet 3 side along a folding line along the longitudinal direction at the base end portion (side edge portion of the absorber 4) of this flap portion.

[0062] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear end portion of the napkin is folded toward its front side region at the folding line X1 position along the napkin width direction, and the folded-back rear portion of the napkin is folded toward the central portion of the napkin at the folding line X2 position along the napkin width direction, and further, the front portion of the napkin is folded onto its upper surface at the folding line X3 position along the napkin width direction to form a four-fold. The folding method is not particularly limited thereto, and known folding methods such as a three-fold can be adopted without limitation.

[0063] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, a side edge sealing portion 22 is formed along the open both side edges 20a, 20a of the individual packaging sheet 20, which is composed of a single or a combination of appropriate sealing means such as embossing and crimping, heat fusion, and adhesive. Thereafter, a pouch tape 21 straddling the unsealing edge 20b is adhered, and the individually packaged sanitary napkin N in which the sanitary napkin 1 is individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet 20 is completed.

[0064] Next, a procedure for taking out the sanitary napkin 1 from the individually packaged sanitary napkin N and wearing it on underwear will be described. First, the pouch tape 21 is peeled off to unseal from the unsealing edge 20b of the individually packaged sanitary napkin N, the side edge sealing portion 22 is released, and the sanitary napkin 1 is unfolded in the longitudinal direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the front peeling sheet 13F and the front individual packaging sheet 20F covering the front displacement preventing adhesive layer 8F of the front portion F are removed to expose the front displacement preventing adhesive layer 8F of the front portion F (FIG. 10). To remove the front individual packaging sheet 20F from the individual packaging sheet 20, the individual packaging sheet 20 is broken by a perforation 23 or the like provided at the boundary between the front portion F and the rear portion B and separated into the front individual packaging sheet 20F and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B.

[0065] Thereby, as shown in FIG. 10, the sanitary napkin 1 remains in a state where the rear peeling sheet 13B and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B are arranged on the rear portion B. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the front portion F of the sanitary napkin 1 in this state is fixed to the underwear in advance. Thereby, the front portion F including the region corresponding to the body fluid discharge portion H of the wearer can be fixed to the underwear in advance.

[0066] Thus, when wiping the body, taking care of a child, or attaching a sanitary napkin to underwear during the menstrual period, etc., in order to prevent menstrual blood from coming out and soiling the legs, towel, floor, etc. while performing these actions, when it is desired to quickly cover at least only the body fluid discharge part H with a sanitary napkin, the front part F including the area corresponding to the body fluid discharge part H, which is the minimum area, can be fixed to the underwear first and worn, so that the wearing time can be shortened and quick wearing becomes possible. That is, in conventional absorbent articles, they could not be fixed to the underwear until all the individual packaging sheets and release sheets extending over the entire length of the absorbent article were removed. However, in this sanitary napkin 1, only by removing the front individual packaging sheet 20F and the front release sheet 13F of the front part F, the front part F of the sanitary napkin 1 can be fixed to the underwear. Therefore, the time for removing the individual packaging sheet 20 and the release sheet 13 and the time required for alignment can be shortened, and quick wearing becomes possible. Also, in the area corresponding to the body fluid discharge part H, the inner sides of the thighs on both sides come into contact, which is a part where the sanitary napkin 1 is likely to be displaced. However, since the front displacement prevention adhesive layer 8F fixes the front part F of the sanitary napkin 1 to the underwear in advance, such displacement is less likely to occur.

[0067] Also, since the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B of the rear part B is covered with the rear release sheet 13B, in the operation of fixing the front displacement prevention adhesive layer 8F to the underwear, the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B of the rear part B is not stuck to an unintended part, and alignment becomes easier.

[0068] After fixing and wearing the front part F to the underwear first in this way, when calm, as shown in Fig. 12, put your hand into the underwear from the back side of the body opening of the underwear, pull out the rear individual packaging sheet 20B and the rear release sheet 13B of the rear part B (Fig. 13), and fix the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B to the underwear. Thereby, the sanitary napkin 1 can be completely fixed to the underwear.

[0069] After fixing the front part F of the sanitary napkin 1 to the underwear and wearing it, when putting a hand into the underwear from the back side and pulling out the rear individual packaging sheet 20B and the rear release sheet 13B, in order to be able to identify the pulling end portion of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B by groping without visual inspection, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, it is preferable to provide a mark 26 that can be identified by the tactile sensation of the hand at the center of the rear end of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B in the rear part B. The mark 26 may be provided at the center of the rear end of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B without protruding rearward, but as shown in FIG. 14, it is more preferable to form it with a knob portion protruding rearward from the center of the rear end of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B because it can be used as a knob portion when pulling it out. The shape of this knob portion can be, for example, a substantially trapezoidal shape, a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 14(A), a ring shape as shown in (B), etc. In the case of the ring shape of (B), if a finger can be hooked in the hole in the center, it becomes easier to pull out the rear individual packaging sheet 20B and the rear release sheet 13B.

[0070] It is preferable that the mark 26 is made easily distinguishable by the tactile sensation of the hand by making the rigidity and the tactile sensation different from those of the other parts of the individual packaging sheet. To change the rigidity and the tactile sensation, it can be heated and cured, or a viscous agent can be applied to make it sticky. Also, a separate member with different rigidity may be attached to the surface, or the mark 26 itself may be composed of a separate member and fixed in a state protruding rearward from the center of the rear end of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B.

[0071] By picking up the mark 26 by hand and pulling out the rear individual packaging sheet 20B, the rear release sheet 13B is configured to peel off from the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B. As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 15, so that the rear release sheet 13B can be easily peeled off from the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B, the fixing of the rear release sheet 13B and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is achieved only by the fixing portion 19 provided at the front end portion of the rear release sheet 13B, and preferably, the rear release sheet 13B and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B are not fixed otherwise. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 15, when the mark 26 provided at the center of the rear end of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is picked up by hand and pulled, a tensile force acts on the front end portion of the rear release sheet 13B fixed via the fixing portion 19, and the rear release sheet 13B gradually peels off from the front end portion. Thereby, the rear release sheet 13B can be easily peeled off from the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B.

[0072] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the peeling of the rear release sheet 13B, as shown in FIG. 15, the front end portion of the rear release sheet 13B is folded back in the longitudinal direction to form a folded portion 27, and the fixing portion 19 is provided at the folded end portion 27a of the tip of this folded portion 27, so that the rear release sheet 13B is fixed to the rear individual packaging sheet 20B. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 15(B), when the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is pulled, a tensile force propagates to the folded end portion 27a of the rear release sheet 13B via the fixing portion 19, and the rear release sheet 13B turns up from the folding start end 27b of the folded portion 27 (the first folded portion which is the first folded portion where the folded portion 27 starts), and the rear release sheet 13B gradually peels off from the end portion of the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B. At this time, the folding start end 27b of the folded portion 27 is arranged to be located in front of the front end 8Ba of the rear displacement prevention adhesive layer 8B as shown in FIG. 15(A).

[0073] The folding portion 27 only needs to be folded at least once. However, as shown in FIG. 15, by folding it twice to form a Z shape, the non-release treatment surface on the side opposite to the release treatment surface subjected to the release treatment is opposed to the fixing portion 19, so that the fixing strength of the fixing portion 19 can be ensured. From such a viewpoint, the number of folding times is preferably an even number of two or more times.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 16, the folding portion 27 may not be provided. In this case, the front end 19a of the fixing portion 19 is arranged so as to be positioned in front of the front end 8Ba of the rear displacement preventing adhesive layer 8B. Thereby, the rear release sheet 13B can be gradually peeled off from the front end of the rear displacement preventing adhesive layer 8B. When the folding portion 27 is provided, regardless of the position of the fixing portion 19 with respect to the rear displacement preventing adhesive layer 8B, it is sufficient that the folding start end 27b is positioned in front of the front end 8Ba of the rear displacement preventing adhesive layer 8B.

[0075] As described above, in the form in which the fixing of the rear release sheet 13B and the rear individual packaging sheet 20B in the rear portion B is achieved only by the fixing portion 19 provided at the front end portion of the rear release sheet 13B, as shown in FIG. 17(A), the fixing portion 19 is located on the rear side of the fold line X2 closest to the fixing portion 19. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17(B), when the fixing portion 19 is located on the front side of the fold line X2, when pulling the rear end portion of the rear individual packaging sheet 20B to pull out the rear individual packaging sheet 20B and the rear release sheet 13B, due to the folding habit of the sanitary napkin 1 during packaging, it gets caught at the angular folding position, making it difficult to pull out, which is not preferable. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 17(A), by providing the fixing portion 19 on the rear side of the fold line X2, at the initial stage of peeling between the rear release sheet 13B and the rear displacement preventing adhesive layer 8B, the fixing portion 19 does not pass through the portion with a folding habit, so the snagging is reduced and the pulling-out operation is not hindered.

[0076] In the present invention, since the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is fixed only by the fixing portion 19 provided at the front end portion of the rear peeling sheet 13B, after removing the peeling sheet 13 and the individual packaging sheet 20 in the front portion F to expose the positioning adhesive layer 8 in the front portion F, when attaching the sanitary napkin 1 to the underwear, the rear individual packaging sheet 20B attached to the sanitary napkin 1 may flutter and be difficult to attach. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, a temporary fixing portion 28 for temporarily fixing the rear side portion of the rear peeling sheet 13B to an arbitrary portion may be provided. The temporary fixing portion 28 may maintain the form in which the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is arranged along the rear portion B of the sanitary napkin 1 until the front portion F of the sanitary napkin 1 is fixed to the underwear and the peeling sheet 13 and the individual packaging sheet 20 in the rear portion B are removed, and is formed with an adhesive force that can be easily peeled off by the tensile force when pulling out the peeling sheet 13 and the individual packaging sheet 20 in the subsequent rear portion B. As a specific adhesive force, it may be equal to or less than the adhesive force between the peeling sheet 13 and the positioning adhesive layer 8. The temporary fixing portion 28 is provided at a position where the rear individual packaging sheet 20B is joined to an arbitrary member, and for example, as shown in FIG. 18, it can be arranged at a position facing the back sheet 2. In addition, alternatively, it may be arranged at a position facing the rear peeling sheet 13B, a position facing the hip hold peeling sheet 16, or the like.

[0077] Next, the manufacturing method of the individually packaged sanitary napkin N will be described. First, the front peeling sheet 13F and the rear peeling sheet 13B are cut into a predetermined shape, and the front end portion of the rear peeling sheet 13B is folded by a sealer or the like to form the folded-back portion 27. Further, if necessary, the wing peeling sheet 14 is fixed to the front peeling sheet 13F by the fixing portion 15, and the hip hold peeling sheet 16 is fixed to the rear peeling sheet 13B by the fixing portion 17.

[0078] Once the production of the release sheet 13 is completed, an adhesive for fixing the individual packaging sheet 20 is applied to the release sheet 13 and fixed to the individual packaging sheet 20. Specifically, the adhesive for the fixing part 18 is applied to a predetermined position of the front release sheet 13F, and the adhesive for the fixing part 19 is applied to a predetermined position of the rear release sheet 13B, and then fixed to the merging individual packaging sheet 20.

[0079] After that, the fixing sheet 20 is cut into a predetermined shape, and embossing or chemical agent application is performed on the mark 26 portion.

[0080] On the release processing surface of the release sheet 13, the anti - displacement adhesive layer 8 is applied at an appropriate stage. When the sanitary napkin 1 is placed on this release sheet 13, the anti - displacement adhesive layer 8 is transferred to the outer surface of the back sheet 2.

[0081] After that, as described above, the sanitary napkin 1 is individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet 20.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0082] 1…Sanitary napkin, 2…Back sheet, 3…Front sheet, 4…Absorbent body, 5…Wrapping sheet, 7…Side sheet, 8…Anti - displacement adhesive layer, 8F…Front anti - displacement adhesive layer, 8B…Rear anti - displacement adhesive layer, 9…Thread - shaped elastic stretch member, 10…Adhesive layer for wing, 11…Adhesive layer for hip hold, 12…Squeezing groove, 13…Release sheet, 13F…Front release sheet, 13B…Rear release sheet, 14…Release sheet for wing, 15…Fixing part, 16…Release sheet for hip hold, 17…Fixing part, 18·19…Fixing part, 20…Individual packaging sheet, 20F…Front individual packaging sheet, 20B…Rear individual packaging sheet, 21…Pouch tape, 22…Side edge sealing part, 23…Perforation, 24…Notch part, 25…Easily breakable sheet material, 26…Mark, 27…Folded - back part, 28…Temporary fixing part

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a displacement-preventing adhesive layer for fixing to underwear, together with a release sheet that removably covers the displacement-preventing adhesive layer and an individual packaging sheet fixed to the outer surface side of the release sheet, is folded longitudinally along a folding line in the width direction and is an individually packaged absorbent article individually packaged by the individual packaging sheet, wherein the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet are each separably formed into a front portion including a region corresponding to the body fluid discharge portion of the wearer during wearing and a rear portion behind the front portion, wherein the front end portion of the release sheet of the rear portion is folded back in the longitudinal direction, and the release sheet of the rear portion is fixed to the individual packaging sheet only by a fixing portion provided at the folded-back end portion, wherein the front portion of the absorbent article, with the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the front portion removed to expose the displacement-preventing adhesive layer of the front portion and the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion left in place, can be fixed to the underwear in advance. An individually packaged absorbent article characterized by this.

2. The individually packaged absorbent article according to Claim 1, wherein a mark distinguishable by the tactile sensation of the hand is provided at the center of the rear end of the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion.

3. The individually packaged absorbent article according to Claim 2, wherein the mark is formed by a gripping portion protruding rearward from the center of the rear end of the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion.

4. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the fixing portion for fixing the release sheet and the individual packaging sheet of the rear portion is located on the rear side of the folding line closest to the fixing portion.

5. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the individual packaging sheet is provided with a perforation along the boundary between the front portion and the rear portion.

6. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein notch portions are provided on both side portions of the boundary between the front portion and the rear portion of the individual packaging sheet.

7. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the boundary portion between the front portion and the rear portion of the individual packaging sheet is formed of a sheet material with easy breakability.

8. The individually packaged absorbent article according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the displacement-preventing adhesive layer is separately arranged in the front portion and the rear portion, and the release sheet is separately arranged in the front portion and the rear portion.

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