Diaper and manufacturing method of diaper

Abstract

To suppress slip-down of a diaper.SOLUTION: A diaper 2 includes a soft region 5 extending in a width direction on an abdominal side end 2f side from an absorber 21, and a hard region 6 including at least a part of the abdominal side end 2f, extending in the width direction, provided on the abdominal side end 2f side from the soft region 5 adjacently to the soft region 5, and being harder than the soft region 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a diaper having an absorbent body and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Diapers generally have a mat-shaped absorbent body that absorbs the liquid components of bodily waste. A liquid-permeable top sheet (surface sheet) is placed on the skin side of the absorbent body, and a liquid-impermeable back sheet (leak-proof sheet) and a cover sheet (outer sheet) that forms the outer surface of the diaper are placed on the non-skin side. These top sheet, back sheet, and cover sheet are all arranged to cover the absorbent body in the thickness direction. Furthermore, a waist sheet (stretchable sheet) that forms a waist gather is placed in the back body of the diaper (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-166076 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The longitudinal outer portion of the diaper beyond the absorbent core is more susceptible to deformation than the portion where the absorbent core is provided, and may be dragged by the clothing, such as pants, worn on the outer side of the diaper (non-skin side), and may be deformed. In particular, the periphery of the ventral end of the diaper is softer than the periphery of the dorsal end where the waist gathers are provided, and therefore, when dragged by the clothing as described above, the diaper is more likely to curl around an axis along the width direction. When the abdominal end portion is rolled up, the thickness of the diaper increases, making it more likely to be dragged by outer clothing, causing the diaper to slip down. Conventional diapers have room for improvement in preventing this slip down.

[0005] The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one of its objects is to prevent the diaper from slipping down. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The diaper in this case is characterized by comprising a soft region extending in the width direction closer to the ventral end than the absorbent body, and a hard region that includes at least a portion of the ventral end, extends in the width direction, is adjacent to the soft region, is located closer to the ventral end than the soft region, and is harder than the soft region. The diaper manufacturing method of the present invention comprises the steps of: preparing a continuous body in which individual pieces that will become the diapers are continuous in the machine direction via a section to be cut and the waist sheet pieces are arranged overlapping in the cutting direction, straddling the section to be cut in the machine direction; and cutting the continuous body prepared in the previous step along the section to be cut, and arranging the waist sheet at the back end and the reinforcing sheet at the abdominal end of each of the cut individual pieces to form the diapers. The soft region is laminated with an inner sheet extending on the skin-side surface and an outer sheet extending on the non-skin-side surface; and the hard region is laminated with a reinforcing sheet in addition to the inner and outer sheets, and the elastic members are fixed to the stretch sheet in a stretched state, and the waist sheet is arranged in an area including at least a portion of the back end, the reinforcing sheet having the same widthwise dimension and material as the stretch sheet, and the reinforcing sheet is an excess portion that is cut off from the stretch section when the waist sheet piece including the stretch section that will become the waist sheet is cut during the manufacturing process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this invention, the diaper can be prevented from slipping down. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the diaper as seen from the skin side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front body of the diaper as viewed from the non-skin side. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating how the continuous body is cut during the diaper manufacturing process. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a diaper. [Figure 6] 10 is a plan view (corresponding to FIG. 2) of the front body of a diaper according to a modified example, viewed from the non-skin side. [Figure 7] 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6) schematically showing a part of the front body of a diaper according to a modification example when worn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described. This embodiment is merely an example, and it is not intended to exclude various modifications or application of techniques not explicitly stated in the following embodiment. Each configuration of this embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit thereof. Furthermore, it can be selected or combined as needed.

[0010] [1. Diapers] [1-1. Overall structure] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the diaper 2 of this embodiment is a tape-type diaper in which, when worn by a wearer, a front body section 2A, which faces the wearer's abdomen, and a back body section 2B, which faces the wearer's back, are connected to each other by a fastening tape 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "tape 1"). Here, a paper diaper (a so-called disposable diaper) is shown as an example of the diaper 2. In addition to the front body section 2A and the back body section 2B, the diaper 2 also has a crotch section 2C, which faces the wearer's crotch when worn. The crotch section 2C is located between the front body section 2A and the back body section 2B when the diaper 2 is laid out flat.

[0011] Hereinafter, the direction connecting the front body 2A and the back body 2B in the unfolded state will be referred to as the "longitudinal direction." Furthermore, when worn, the side facing the wearer's skin will be referred to as the "skin side," and the opposite side will be referred to as the "non-skin side." Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin side and the non-skin side will be referred to as the "thickness direction," and the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction will be referred to as the "width direction." The diaper 2 of this embodiment is formed symmetrically with respect to a center line O in the width direction. The diaper 2 includes a tape 1, an absorbent body 21, various sheets 22 to 26, and various gathers 27 to 29. Each of these components will be described below in order.

[0012] <Tape> The tapes 1 protrude from both sides of the back body 2B in the width direction and are detachable from the front body 2A. There is no particular limitation on the number of tapes 1, but here we show an example in which one tape 1 is provided on each side of the back body 2B in the width direction (a total of one pair).

[0013] <Absorbent> The absorbent body 21 is a mat-like member with liquid absorption properties. The absorbent body 21 is formed, for example, by wrapping a mat in which super absorbent polymer (SAP) is mixed with fluff pulp with a core wrap sheet such as hydrophilic nonwoven fabric or tissue paper. The absorbent body 21 has a greater thickness (dimension in the thickness direction) than the tape 1 and sheets 22 to 26.

[0014] The absorbent body 21 extends in the longitudinal direction across the front body 2A, crotch portion 2C, and back body 2B. The absorbent body 21 is disposed in an area including an area where excrement such as urine and feces can be excreted from the wearer. Here, an absorbent body 21 is shown as an example, which is provided on the non-skin side and in the widthwise center of the top sheet 22 described below, and on the skin side and in the widthwise center of the back sheet 24 and cover sheet 25 described below. The absorbent body 21 of this embodiment is rectangular when viewed in the thickness direction.

[0015] <Sheet> Each of the sheets 22 to 26 is a sheet-like member that spreads in the longitudinal and width directions when in an unfolded state. A liquid-permeable top sheet 22 (inner sheet) is disposed on the skin side of the absorbent body 21. The top sheet 22 is formed to be longer than the absorbent body 21 in the longitudinal and width directions, and covers the absorbent body 21 from the skin side. The top sheet 22 extends on the skin-side surface (inner surface) in the widthwise central portion of the diaper 2, and forms a skin-facing surface that faces the wearer's skin. The top sheet 22 is formed, for example, from a woven fabric or a nonwoven fabric. Here, a top sheet 22 that is rectangular when viewed in the thickness direction is shown as an example.

[0016] The top sheet 22 of this embodiment is provided over the entire longitudinal length of the diaper 2. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, the top sheet 22 extends between one longitudinal edge 2f and the other longitudinal edge 2r of the diaper 2. Hereinafter, of the one longitudinal edge 2f and the other longitudinal edge 2r of the diaper 2, one edge extending in the width direction on the front body 2A side will be referred to as the "ventral edge 2f," and the other edge extending in the width direction on the back body 2B side will be referred to as the "dorsal edge 2r."

[0017] Liquid-impermeable side sheets 23 (inner sheets) are arranged on the outer sides of the top sheet 22 in the width direction to prevent liquid leakage from the absorbent body 21 to the outer sides in the width direction. The side sheets 23 are preferably made of a breathable and flexible material. Examples of materials used for the side sheets 23 include SMS (Spunbond Meltblown Spunbond) nonwoven fabric and SMMS (Spunbond Meltblown Meltblown Spunbond) nonwoven fabric.

[0018] A pair of side sheets 23 are provided on both widthwise sides of the top sheet 22 and extend in the longitudinal direction. In this example, the inner widthwise portion of each side sheet 23 is arranged to overlap the skin-facing side of the top sheet 22. Like the top sheet 22, the side sheets 23 of this embodiment are provided over the entire longitudinal area of the diaper 2. The side sheets 23 extend on the skin-facing surface (inner surface) on both widthwise sides of the diaper 2 and form skin-facing surfaces that face the wearer's skin.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 24 is disposed on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 21 to prevent liquid leakage from the absorbent body 21 to the non-skin side. The back sheet 24 is formed to be longer than the absorbent body 21 in the longitudinal and width directions, and covers the absorbent body 21 from the non-skin side. In this embodiment, the back sheet 24 extends between the ventral end 2f and the dorsal end 2r of the diaper 2. The back sheet 24 is formed, for example, from a film.

[0020] A cover sheet 25 (outer sheet) is disposed on the non-skin side of the back sheet 24 to reinforce the back sheet 24 and improve the feel (e.g., touch). In this embodiment, the cover sheet 25 is formed to be longer in the width direction than the back sheet 24 and longer in the longitudinal and width directions than the absorbent body 21, and covers the back sheet 24 from the non-skin side. The cover sheet 25 extends on the non-skin side surface (outer surface) of the diaper 2. The cover sheet 25 extends between the ventral end 2f and the dorsal end 2r of the diaper 2. The cover sheet 25 is formed of, for example, a woven fabric or a nonwoven fabric.

[0021] The top sheet 22, absorbent body 21, back sheet 24, and cover sheet 25, which are layered in the thickness direction at the widthwise center of the diaper 2, are fixed with a known adhesive (e.g., hot melt adhesive). Similarly, the side sheets 23 and cover sheets 25, which are layered in the thickness direction at both widthwise sides of the diaper 2, are fixed with a known adhesive. Note that a tape 1 is sandwiched between the cover sheet 25 and the side sheets 23.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, hereinafter, within the overlapping region of the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25, the portion that is outward in the width direction from the back sheet 24 is also referred to as the side panel portion 3. The side panel portion 3 is provided outward in the width direction from the absorbent body 21. In this embodiment, the majority of the side panel portion 3 is composed of only the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25, from the viewpoint of improving the tactile feel, and is more flexible than the other portions.

[0023] A target sheet 26, to which the tape 1 is attached, is attached to the non-skin-side surface of the front body 2A (the non-skin-side surface of the cover sheet 25). The target sheet 26 is a sheet-like member that functions as a fastening point for the tape 1. When viewed in the thickness direction, the target sheet 26 of this embodiment has a rectangular shape with a width dimension greater than a length dimension, and extends in the width direction. Here, a target sheet 26 that overlaps with the absorbent body 21 in the thickness direction is exemplified. More specifically, the outer end 26a of the target sheet 26 in the length direction overlaps with the ventral end 21f of the absorbent body 21 in the thickness direction. The target sheet 26 constitutes a fastening mechanism together with a fastening material (not shown) provided on the tape 1. As this fastening mechanism, for example, a flat fastener that mechanically joins a hook material (male member) and a loop material (female member) can be applied.

[0024] <Gather> The gathers 27-29 are formed by gathering the side sheets 23, the cover sheet 25, etc. into pleats using an elastic material such as rubber, a stretch film, or polyurethane. The gathers 27-29 function to improve the fit of the diaper 2 to the wearer. Figures 1 and 2 and Figures 3 and 4, which will be described later, show the diaper 2 with the gathers 27-29 smoothed out.

[0025] The three-dimensional gathers 27 are formed by crinkling the inner widthwise portions of the side sheets 23 with elastic members 27a so that they are stretchable in the longitudinal direction. A pair of three-dimensional gathers 27 is provided on the skin side of the top sheet 22, on both sides in the width direction, and extends in the longitudinal direction. Here, an example of three-dimensional gathers 27 is shown in which multiple thread-like elastic members 27a extending along the longitudinal direction are provided at intervals in the width direction. The three-dimensional gathers 27 stand up on the skin side when the elastic members 27a contract in the longitudinal direction.

[0026] The leg gathers 28 are provided in the diaper 2 at locations along the legs of the wearer. In this embodiment, a pair of leg gathers 28 are provided laterally outward of the top sheet 22 and extend in the longitudinal direction. The leg gathers 28 are formed, for example, by crinkling the side sheet 23, the back sheet 24, and the cover sheet 25 with elastic members 28a so that they are stretchable in the longitudinal direction. Here, an example is shown in which a plurality of thread-like elastic members 28a extending in the longitudinal direction are provided at intervals in the width direction.

[0027] 1 and 2, the waist gathers 29 are provided in the diaper 2 at locations facing the waist (above the buttocks) of the wearer. The waist gathers 29 function to improve the fit of the back body section 2B around the waist of the wearer. In this embodiment, the waist gathers 29 are formed by the sheets 22 to 25 being gathered by the waist sheet 4 so as to be stretchable in the width direction.

[0028] The waist sheet 4 has elastic members 4a fixed to a nonwoven fabric 4b (stretch sheet) in a state where the elastic members 4a are stretched in the width direction. Here, the waist sheet 4 is exemplified as having two identical rectangular nonwoven fabric sheets 4b overlapped in the thickness direction, with multiple thread-like elastic members 4a extending in the width direction and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction between them. Note that instead of a configuration in which two nonwoven fabric sheets 4b are overlapped, a configuration in which one nonwoven fabric sheet is folded back in a V shape may also be used. The waist sheet 4 is disposed in an area including at least a portion of the back end 2r. In other words, the outer longitudinal ends of the waist sheet 4 overlap the back end 2r in the thickness direction. Here, a waist sheet 4 whose both widthwise ends extend to the side panel portions 3 is exemplified.

[0029] [1-2. Main part configuration] As shown in Fig. 3, two regions 5, 6 extending in the width direction and differing in hardness (flexibility) are provided closer to the ventral end 2f than the absorbent body 21 of the diaper 2. Hereinafter, of these regions 5, 6, one that is soft (easy to bend) is also referred to as the soft region 5, and the other that is hard (hard to bend) is also referred to as the hard region 6.

[0030] In this embodiment, the soft region 5 is adjacent to the outer side in the longitudinal direction (toward the ventral end 2f) of the absorbent body 21 and the target sheet 26. In other words, the absorbent body 21 and the target sheet 26 are adjacent to the inner side in the longitudinal direction (toward the crotch portion 2C) of the soft region 5. On the other hand, the hard region 6 is adjacent to the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the soft region 5 and is provided closer to the ventral end 2f than the soft region 5. In this way, the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction and do not overlap with the absorbent body 21 in the thickness direction.

[0031] The soft region 5 corresponds to the region between the absorbent body 21 and the hard region 6 when viewed in the thickness direction. In the soft region 5 of this embodiment, three sheets are laminated: a top sheet 22, a back sheet 24, and a cover sheet 25. The soft region 5 exemplified here has the same width dimension as the absorbent body 21, and side sheets 23 are also laminated at both ends of the soft region 5 in the width direction.

[0032] The hard region 6 is a region located longitudinally outboard of the soft region 5 and includes at least a portion of the ventral end 2f. Here, the hard region 6 is exemplified as including most of the ventral end 2f excluding both widthwise ends, and is formed longer in the width direction than the soft region 5. The hard region 6 of this embodiment extends to the side panel portion 3 located widthwise outboard of the absorbent body 21. Hereinafter, the portion 6a of the hard region 6 that is adjacent to the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction will also be referred to as the central hard region 6a, and the portion 6b that is outside the central hard region 6a in the width direction (i.e., the portion not adjacent to the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction) will also be referred to as the outer hard region 6b.

[0033] As described above, the hard region 6 is formed to be harder than the soft region 5. In this embodiment, the hard region 6 is formed to be harder than the soft region 5 by disposing the reinforcing sheet 7, which is not disposed in the soft region 5. That is, the hard region 6 in this embodiment corresponds to the region overlapping with the reinforcing sheet 7 when viewed in the thickness direction. In the central stiff region 6a, a reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to the three sheets of the top sheet 22, the back sheet 24, and the cover sheet 25. Side sheets 23 are also laminated at both widthwise ends of the central stiff region 6a. In this way, the number of laminated sheets in the central stiff region 6a is set to be greater than the number of laminated sheets in the soft region 5.

[0034] In the outer hard region 6b, a reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to the side sheets 23 and the cover sheet 25. A top sheet 22 and a back sheet 24 are also laminated on the inner side in the width direction of the outer hard region 6b. In this way, in the hard region 6, in addition to at least one of the top sheet 22 and the side sheet 23 that form the skin-facing surface of the diaper 2, and the cover sheet 25 that forms the non-skin-facing surface of the diaper 2, a reinforcing sheet 7 is also arranged.

[0035] A part of the outer rigid region 6b is provided in the side panel portion 3 of the front body 2A (hereinafter referred to as the front side panel portion 3). In the outer rigid region 6b of the front side panel portion 3, in addition to the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25 as described above, the reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated. In contrast, only two sheets, the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25, are laminated in the portion of the front side panel 3 other than the outer hard region 6b. In this way, in the front side panel 3, the number of sheets laminated in the outer hard region 6b is set to be greater than the number of sheets laminated in other portions.

[0036] The reinforcing sheet 7 is sandwiched between the back sheet 24 and the top sheet 22. Here, a rectangular reinforcing sheet 7 with a width dimension greater than a length dimension is shown as an example. The outer longitudinal ends of the reinforcing sheet 7 overlap the ventral end 2f in the thickness direction. 2, the reinforcing sheet 7 of this embodiment has the same width W and is made of the same material as the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist sheet 4. This is because the reinforcing sheet 7 is made of a scrap (a surplus portion 7' described below) that is cut off from the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist sheet 4 during the manufacturing process of the diaper 2. Therefore, like the waist sheet 4, the reinforcing sheet 7 of this embodiment has a two-layer structure in which two layers of nonwoven fabric (sheet material) are superimposed on each other.

[0037] The reinforcing sheet 7 of this embodiment is hydrophobic. Here, an example is shown in which both of the two nonwoven fabrics constituting the reinforcing sheet 7 are hydrophobic sheet materials. In other words, the reinforcing sheet 7 of this embodiment is formed from a hydrophobic sheet material. However, the configuration of the hydrophobic reinforcing sheet 7 is not limited to this. Instead of (or in addition to) imparting hydrophobic properties to the sheet material that constitutes the reinforcing sheet 7, the adhesive that bonds the sheet materials together may also be made hydrophobic. In other words, the reinforcing sheet 7 may be formed from multiple sheet materials bonded together with a hydrophobic adhesive.

[0038] [2. Diaper manufacturing method] As shown in Fig. 4, in the manufacturing process of the diaper 2, a plurality of diapers 2 (or semi-finished products thereof) are cut out from a strip-shaped continuous body 20. The continuous body 20 is a long body in which individual portions 2' corresponding to the diapers 2 are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction via portions to be cut C, and includes components corresponding to the absorbent body 21, sheets 22 to 26, and gathers 27 to 29. Note that the tape 1 is omitted from Fig. 4.

[0039] The continuous body 20 is conveyed along the direction in which the individual pieces 2' are arranged. Hereinafter, the direction in which the continuous body 20 is conveyed is also referred to as the MD direction (flow direction), and upstream and downstream are defined based on the MD direction. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the MD direction on the extending surface of the continuous body 20 is referred to as the CD direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the MD and CD directions is referred to as the TD direction (cutting direction). The MD direction, CD direction, and TD direction of the continuous body 20 correspond to the longitudinal direction, width direction, and thickness direction of the diaper 2, respectively.

[0040] The cut portions C extend linearly along the CD direction in the continuous body 20 and are arranged at equal intervals in the MD direction. When the continuous body 20 is cut at the cut portions C, the individual portions 2′ are separated from each other to form a plurality of diapers 2. The cut portions C become the ventral end portion 2f and the dorsal end portion 2r of the diaper 2. More specifically, the cut portion C extending between two adjacent unit portions 2' becomes the dorsal end portion 2r of one (the upstream side in FIG. 4) of the two diapers 2 formed from these unit portions 2', and becomes the ventral end portion 2f of the other (the downstream side in FIG. 4) of the diaper 2.

[0041] The continuous body 20 is provided with waist sheet pieces 8 each including a stretchable section 4' that will become the waist sheet 4. The waist sheet piece 8 includes an excess section 7' made solely of nonwoven fabric, in addition to the stretchable section 4' including the elastic members 4a. More specifically, the waist sheet piece 8 is formed by fixing the elastic members 4a between two sheets of nonwoven fabric overlapped in the TD direction (or one sheet of nonwoven fabric folded back in a V-shape). The nonwoven fabric in the waist sheet piece 8 is formed longer in the MD direction, which corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the diaper 2, than the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist sheet 4 by the length of the excess section 7'.

[0042] The waist sheet pieces 8 are arranged at equal intervals in the MD direction, similar to the portions to be cut C, straddle the portions to be cut C in the MD direction, and overlap the portions to be cut C in the TD direction. In other words, the waist sheet pieces 8 are arranged straddling the adjacent single unit portions 2′. In this embodiment, the waist sheet piece 8 is positioned so that all of the elastic members 4a are located upstream or downstream (upstream in FIG. 4 ) of the cut-off portion C when viewed in the TD direction. In the waist sheet piece 8 positioned in this manner, the stretchable portion 4' and the excess portion 7' are adjacent to each other via the cut-off portion C. Therefore, in the waist sheet piece 8, the stretchable portion 4' is located either upstream or downstream of the cut-off portion C, and the excess portion 7' is located on the other side. The excess portion 7' is located away from the absorbent body 21 in the MD direction. The region between the excess portion 7' and the absorbent body 21 in the MD direction becomes the soft region 5 of the diaper 2.

[0043] The waist sheet piece 8 separates into a stretchable portion 4' and an excess portion 7' when the continuous body 20 is cut at the intended cutting portion C. Of the two diapers 2 formed from two adjacent unitary portions 2', the stretchable portion 4' in one diaper 2 (the upstream side in FIG. 4) becomes the waist sheet 4, and the excess portion 7' in the other diaper 2 (the downstream side in FIG. 4) becomes the reinforcing sheet 7. In this way, the reinforcing sheet 7 in this embodiment is the excess portion 7' that is separated from the stretchable portion 4' when the waist sheet piece 8 is cut during the manufacturing process of the diaper 2.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure for manufacturing the diaper 2 (method for manufacturing the diaper 2). In the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the continuous body 20 is prepared in step S1 (pre-process). Then, in step S2, the continuous body 20 prepared in step S1 is cut along the cut-off portions C (post-process). As a result, in step S2, as described above, a waist sheet 4 is placed on the diaper 2 formed from one of two adjacent unit pieces 2', and a reinforcing sheet 7 is placed on the diaper 2 formed from the other unit piece. That is, in step S2, where the continuous body 20 is cut along the cut-off portions C to cut out the unit pieces 2', a waist sheet 4 is placed on the dorsal end portion 2r of the diaper 2 formed from each of the unit pieces 2', and a reinforcing sheet 7 is placed on the ventral end portion 2f.

[0045] [3. Actions and Effects] (1) In general, the longitudinally outer portions of a diaper beyond the absorbent core are thinner than the absorbent core portion and therefore more susceptible to deformation. For example, when a wearer removes non-skin-adjacent clothing (such as pants), the diaper may be pulled by the clothing and deform. In particular, the ventral edge of the diaper is more likely to curl around an axis along the width than the dorsal edge, where the waist gathers are located. When the diaper is rolled up in this way, its thickness increases, making it more susceptible to being pulled by the clothing and causing it to slip down. Furthermore, when the ventral edge is rolled up in this way, pressure from the elastic members or belts of the non-skin-adjacent clothing can cause pressure or dig into the wearer's abdomen, potentially causing discomfort. This can also lead to the wearer (especially infants and small children) intentionally shifting the diaper from its proper position.

[0046] In contrast, in the diaper 2 described above, the hard region 6, which includes at least a portion of the ventral end portion 2f, is harder than the adjacent soft region 5, making the hard region 6 less likely to curl up when dragged by clothing as described above. Furthermore, the soft region 5, which is softer than the hard region 6, bends, making the hard region 6 more likely to roll up (fold back) toward the non-skin side without curling, thereby preventing the increase in thickness due to the above-mentioned curling. This makes it easier to release (easily remove) forces that would cause the diaper 2 to slip down, thereby preventing the diaper 2 from slipping down.

[0047] Furthermore, by preventing the thickness from increasing due to rolling up as described above, pressure on or digging into the wearer's abdomen can be suppressed, thereby contributing to improved comfort of the diaper 2. Furthermore, for a wearer with a sensitive navel (e.g., a newborn), the diaper 2 can be worn with the hard region 6 folded away from the soft region 5 toward the skin, thereby making it easier to avoid contact between the diaper 2 and the navel, thereby reducing skin troubles around the wearer's navel.

[0048] (2) In contrast to the soft region 5 in which the top sheet 22 and the cover sheet 25 are laminated, the hard region 6 is laminated with the reinforcing sheet 7 in addition to the cover sheet 25 and at least one of the top sheet 22 and the side sheet 23. In this way, the hard region 6 is harder than the soft region 5 by laminating the reinforcing sheet 7 between the top sheet 22 or the side sheet 23 extending on the skin-facing surface and the cover sheet 25 extending on the non-skin-facing surface, and as described above, the diaper 2 is prevented from slipping down while also preventing deterioration in appearance and feel. Furthermore, by laminating the reinforcing sheet 7 only on the hard region 6 and not on the soft region 5, the hard region 6 can be made harder than the soft region 5 with a simple configuration, which also contributes to reducing manufacturing costs.

[0049] (3) The reinforcing sheet 7 has the same width W and is made of the same material as the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist sheet 4, so the reinforcing sheet 7 can be easily formed from the same material as the nonwoven fabric 4b. In this way, if the nonwoven fabric 4b, which is one element of the waist sheet 4, and the reinforcing sheet 7 are formed from the same material, there is no need to prepare separate materials for the nonwoven fabric 4b and the reinforcing sheet 7, which reduces manufacturing costs.

[0050] (4) The reinforcing sheet 7 is the excess portion 7' that is separated from the stretchable portion 4' when the waist sheet piece 8 is cut during the manufacturing process of the diaper 2. Therefore, the reinforcing sheet 7 can be formed at the same time as cutting the waist sheet 4 corresponding to the stretchable portion 4' from the waist sheet piece 8. This further reduces manufacturing costs. In addition, the excess portion 7' that is separated from the stretchable portion 4' of the waist sheet piece 8 can be effectively used as the reinforcing sheet 7, which contributes to reducing material costs and waste materials.

[0051] (5) Because the reinforcing sheet 7 is hydrophobic, even if the liquid component of excrement (hereinafter also referred to as "excrement") flows from the absorber 21 toward the ventral end 2f and passes through the soft region 5, the excrement can be blocked by the reinforcing sheet 7. Therefore, leakage of excrement from the ventral end 2f (so-called abdominal leakage) can be suppressed. In particular, when the adhesive that bonds the sheets 22 to 25 together is applied intermittently, there is a risk that excreted fluid will flow through gaps in the non-adhesive portions where no adhesive is applied and reach the hard region 6. There is also a risk that excreted fluid will flow to the hard region 6 through gaps formed on the extensions of the thread-like elastic members 27a, 28a. In contrast, with the hydrophobic reinforcing sheet 7, even if excreted fluid flows to the hard region 6 through the gaps between the sheets 22 to 25 as described above, the reinforcing sheet 7 can stop the movement of the excreted fluid, thereby preventing abdominal leakage.

[0052] (6) Since the reinforcing sheet 7 is formed of a hydrophobic sheet material, the reinforcing sheet 7 can be simply configured, while still preventing abdominal leakage by blocking excrement as described above. (7) On the other hand, if the reinforcing sheet 7 is formed of multiple sheet materials bonded together with a hydrophobic adhesive, the cost of the sheet materials constituting the reinforcing sheet 7 can be reduced while the reinforcing sheet 7 can suppress abdominal leakage as described above.

[0053] (8) Since the hard region 6 extends outward in the width direction beyond the absorbent body 21, the hard region 6 can be more easily rolled up from the soft region 5 toward the non-skin side and the abdominal end 2f can be prevented from curling up in a range that is wider in the width direction than the width of the absorbent body 21. This further prevents the diaper 2 from slipping down and also further prevents pressure and digging into the wearer's abdomen, thereby further contributing to improving the comfort of the diaper 2.

[0054] (9) The rigid regions 6 extend to the side panel portions 3 located laterally outboard of the absorbent body 21, thereby reinforcing the side panel portions 3. This helps maintain the shape of the side panel portions 3, making it easier to maintain the proper wearing state of the diaper 2 and contributing to preventing the diaper 2 from shifting out of position when worn. The side panels 3 are often made softer than the other parts to improve the tactile feel. However, by reinforcing a portion of the side panels 3 with the hard regions 6 as described above, the flexibility of the side panels 3 is maintained while the shape retention of the side panels 3 is improved. This allows the diaper 2 to be worn properly while minimizing deterioration in the tactile feel.

[0055] (10) The target sheet 26 to which the tape 1 is attached is located adjacent to the longitudinally inner side of the soft region 5, so that the target sheet 26 can harden the portion longitudinally inner than the soft region 5. This reliably prevents the hard region 6 from rolling up to the portion longitudinally inner than the soft region 5 when the hard region 6 rolls up toward the skin. This further prevents the hard region 6 and the soft region 5 from curling up. As a result, as described above, slipping down of the diaper 2 can be further prevented, and the comfort of the diaper 2 is further improved.

[0056] (11) The above-described method for manufacturing the diaper 2 produces a diaper 2 having a soft region 5 and a hard region 6, thereby preventing the diaper 2 from slipping down as described above. Furthermore, in the continuous body 20' from which a plurality of diapers 2 are cut, the waist sheet pieces 8 are arranged in the MD and overlap each other in the TD across the cut-off portion C. This allows the waist sheet 4 and the reinforcing sheet 7 to be positioned in appropriate positions simultaneously with cutting the continuous body 20 at the cut-off portion C. This allows for efficient manufacturing of diapers 2 with anti-slip properties, contributing to reduced manufacturing costs.

[0057] Furthermore, since the excess portion 7' is provided in the waist sheet piece 8, the positional accuracy required of the waist sheet piece 8 in the continuous piece 20 can be relaxed. That is, since it is not necessary to synchronize (align) the position of the end of the waist sheet piece 8 with the position of the portion to be cut C in the continuous piece 20, the positioning of the waist sheet piece 8 becomes easier. This contributes to improving the manufacturing efficiency of the diaper 2.

[0058] [4. Modifications] As shown in Fig. 6, the soft region 5 may be provided with elastic members 9 that stretch in the width direction of the diaper 2. The elastic members 9 have the function of improving the fit of the front body 2A to the wearer. Fig. 6 shows the diaper 2 in a state in which the elastic members 9 are stretched. In Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 described later, elements that are the same as or correspond to elements described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0059] In this modification, elastic members 9 are exemplified as thread-like members (thread rubber) extending in the width direction between the top sheet 22 and the back sheet 24. However, the configuration, number, and arrangement of the elastic members 9 are not limited to this example. The elastic members 9 may be stretchable films, polyurethane, etc., and multiple elastic members 9 may be provided, or the elastic members 9 may be arranged between the back sheet 24 and the cover sheet 25.

[0060] As shown in Figure 7, when the diaper 2 having the above-mentioned elastic members 9 is worn by a wearer, the elastic members 9 contract in the width direction, causing the soft region 5 to adhere closely to the wearer's skin H, and therefore the hard region 6 to easily separate from the wearer's skin H. In a typical diaper that does not have the soft region 5 and the hard region 6, if the periphery of the ventral end (the portion corresponding to the hard region 6) is separated from the wearer's skin H in this way, the ventral end is more likely to curl up around an axis along the width direction.

[0061] In contrast, in the diaper 2 having the soft region 5 and the hard region 6, as explained in the above embodiment, the hard region 6 is not easily rolled up and is easily folded back toward the non-skin side, so that the increase in thickness due to the above-mentioned rolling can be avoided even with the provision of the elastic member 9. Therefore, the elastic member 9 improves the fit while preventing the diaper 2 from slipping down.

[0062] The difference in hardness between the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 is not limited to the number of stacked sheets as described above, but may be adjusted according to the material and thickness of the sheets. As long as at least the hard region 6 is formed to be harder than the soft region 5, slipping down of the diaper 2 can be suppressed as described above. The hard region 6 only needs to include at least a part of the ventral end portion 2f, and does not have to extend to the side panel portion 3. For example, the hard region 6 may be provided so as to have approximately the same width as the absorbent body 21.

[0063] The reinforcing sheet 7 described above is an example. The reinforcing sheet 7 may differ from the nonwoven fabric 4B of the waist sheet 4 in at least one of the width dimension W and the material. Furthermore, the reinforcing sheet 7 may be made of a material different from the nonwoven fabric 4B of the waist sheet 4. The reinforcing sheet 7 does not have to be hydrophobic. The manufacturing method for the diaper 2 described above is also an example. The outer longitudinal end 26a of the target sheet 26 does not have to overlap in the thickness direction with the abdominal end 21f of the absorbent body 21. Furthermore, the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 may be provided in a pants-type diaper that does not have a target sheet 26. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 tape 2. Diapers 2' Single unit 2A Front 2B back 2C Inseam 2f ventral end 2r Dorsal end 3 Side panel 4 West Seat 4′ Telescoping part 4a Elastic member 4b Nonwoven fabric (stretchable sheet) 5 Soft region 6 hard area 6a Central hard region 6b outer hard region 7 Reinforcement sheet 7' Excess part 8 West seat piece 9 Elastic member 20 Continuum 21 Absorbent 21f ventral end 22 Top sheet (inner sheet) 23 Side seat 24 Back Seat 25 Cover sheet (outer sheet) 26 Target Sheet 26a End 27 Three-dimensional gathers 27a Elastic member 28 Leg Gathers 28a Elastic member 29 Waist Gather C Cutting area H skin O Center line in width direction W width dimension

Claims

1. a soft region extending in the width direction on the ventral end side of the absorbent body; A hard region including at least a part of the ventral end portion, extending in the width direction and adjacent to the soft region, provided closer to the ventral end portion than the soft region, and harder than the soft region; In the soft region, an inner sheet extending on the skin-side surface and an outer sheet extending on the non-skin-side surface are laminated, In addition to the inner sheet and the outer sheet, a reinforcing sheet is laminated in the hard region, The reinforcing sheet is made of only nonwoven fabric. A diaper characterized by:

2. The elastic member is fixed to the stretch sheet in a stretched state, and the waist sheet is disposed in an area including at least a part of the back end portion, The reinforcing sheet has the same width dimension and material as the stretch sheet. The diaper according to claim 1 , characterized in that

3. The reinforcing sheet is an excess portion that is separated from the stretchable portion when the waist sheet piece that becomes the waist sheet and includes the stretchable portion is cut during the manufacturing process.

3. The diaper according to claim 2.

4. The reinforcing sheet has hydrophobicity. The diaper according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The reinforcing sheet is formed of a hydrophobic sheet material.

5. The diaper according to claim 4.

6. The reinforcing sheet is formed of a plurality of sheets bonded together with a hydrophobic adhesive.

6. The diaper according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that

7. The hard region extends outward in the width direction beyond the absorbent body. The diaper according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The hard region extends to a side panel portion provided on the outer side of the absorbent body in the width direction.

8. The diaper according to claim 7.

9. Tapes protruding from both sides of the back body in the width direction, a target sheet that is attached to the non-skin-facing surface of the front body, adjacent to the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the soft area, and to which the tape is attached; The diaper according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. a pre-processing step of preparing a continuous body in which the individual pieces that will become the diaper according to claim 3 are continuous in the machine direction via a section to be cut, and the waist sheet pieces are arranged so as to overlap in the cutting direction across the section to be cut in the machine direction; The continuous body prepared in the previous step is cut at the intended cutting portions, and the waist sheet is disposed at the back end of the diaper formed from each of the cut individual portions. and a subsequent process of placing the reinforcing sheet on the ventral end portion. A method for manufacturing a diaper.

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