Pad holder and absorbent article

Abstract

To provide a pad holder capable of facilitating fitting of an absorbent pad to a pad holder, and replacement of the absorbent pad.SOLUTION: There is provided a pad holder 10 which is annularly fitted to a waist of a wearer, and holds an absorbent pad 20 in a worn state to a wearer, the pad holder comprises: a peripheral direction CD along a girth direction of the wearer; and a height direction HD along a height direction of the wearer, and comprises a front bodice F arranged on an abdominal part of the wearer and a rear bodice R arranged on a back side of the wearer. One or both of the front bodice F and rear bodice R have a reverse fitting part 16, the reverse fitting part 16 has: a first plane 31 directed to a skin side in a worn state; and a second plane 32 directed to a non-skin side. The first plane 31 has a holder side fitting structure 15. In a folding state of the first plane 31 to an external face side of the holder 10, a pad side fitting structure 25 included in the absorbent pad 20 can be fitted to the holder side fitting structure 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pad holder and an absorbent article. [Background technology]

[0002] A separate type of absorbent article such as a disposable diaper is known, which includes an absorbent pad that absorbs and retains body fluids such as urine, and a pad holder that is worn in a ring shape around the waist of the wearer and holds the absorbent pad placed in the crotch area of the wearer, with the absorbent pad configured to be detachable from the pad holder (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The absorbent article described in Patent Document 1 is designed so that the absorbent pad can be attached to the pad holder by attaching a loop portion provided on the outer surface (non-skin-facing surface) of the absorbent pad in the longitudinal end region to a hook portion provided on the inner surface (skin-facing surface) of the pad holder. The absorbent article described in Patent Document 2 is designed so that the absorbent pad can be attached to the pad holder by attaching an engaging portion provided on the skin-facing surface of the absorbent pad in the longitudinal end region to an engaging portion provided on the non-skin-facing surface of the pad holder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-641 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-51240 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The absorbent article of Patent Document 1 has an end region of the absorbent pad attached to the skin-facing side of the pad holder, resulting in a clean appearance when worn. Furthermore, during use of the absorbent article, the hook portion of the pad holder and the loop portion of the absorbent pad are sandwiched between the pad holder and the wearer's skin, preventing the absorbent pad from unintentionally detaching from the pad holder. Furthermore, the pad holder is located on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent pad, allowing for effective use of the absorbent pad. This also prevents the pad holder from becoming soiled by the wearer's excrement. However, the absorbent article of Patent Document 1 requires the end region of the absorbent pad to be inserted into the skin-facing side of the holder and then fastened to the holder, making it difficult to attach the absorbent pad to the holder. Furthermore, the end region of the absorbent pad located on the skin-facing side of the holder must be peeled off from the holder, making it difficult to remove and replace the absorbent pad. Attaching and replacing the absorbent pad to the holder is more difficult when the holder is already held around the wearer's waist.

[0006] The absorbent article of Patent Document 2 can be attached by overlapping the edge region of the absorbent pad on the non-skin-facing surface of the holder, so attachment and replacement of the absorbent pad to the holder is easier than the absorbent article of Patent Document 1. However, during use of an absorbent article with an absorbent pad attached to a holder, the holder located on the skin-facing side of the absorbent pad may narrow the absorbent area of the absorbent pad, preventing effective use of the absorbent pad's absorption performance, or excrement may adhere to the holder located on the skin-facing side of the absorbent pad, soiling the holder. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that can overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a pad holder that is worn in a circular shape around the waist of a wearer and that holds an absorbent pad in a state where it is worn on the wearer. It is preferable that the garment has a circumferential direction along the waist circumference of the wearer and a height direction along the height direction of the wearer, and has a front body portion that is positioned on the abdominal side of the wearer and a back body portion that is positioned on the back side of the wearer. It is preferable that one or both of the front body and the back body have an inverted attachment portion. The inverted attachment portion has a first surface facing the skin side when worn and a second surface facing away from the skin side, and has a holder side fastening structure on the first surface, and it is preferable that the first surface be folded back toward the outer surface side of the pad holder so that the pad side fastening structure of the absorbent pad can be fastened to the holder side fastening structure.

[0008] The present invention also relates to an absorbent article having the pad holder and the absorbent pad. The absorbent pad comprises a top sheet that is positioned closer to the wearer's skin when worn, a back sheet that is positioned farther from the wearer's skin, and an absorbent body that is positioned between these two sheets, and has a pad-side fastening structure in one or both longitudinal end regions, and it is preferable that the end region having the pad-side fastening structure can be folded back toward the back sheet after the pad-side fastening structure is fastened to the holder-side fastening structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pad holder that allows easy attachment of an absorbent pad to the pad holder and easy replacement of the absorbent pad.Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that has an excellent appearance, is resistant to soiling of the pad holder, is resistant to removal of the absorbent pad from the pad holder, and allows effective use of the absorbent pad. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ib-Ib in FIG. 1(a). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pad holder included in the absorbent article shown in FIG. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is a plan view schematically showing the non-skin-facing surface (outer surface) of the front body part when the pad holder of the absorbent article shown in Figure 1 is in the maximum extended state, and Figure 3(b) is a plan view schematically showing the non-skin-facing surface (outer surface) of the back body part when the pad holder is in the maximum extended state. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a plan view schematically showing the skin-facing surface of the absorbent pad of the absorbent article shown in Figure 1 in the maximum stretched state, and Figure 4(b) is a plan view schematically showing the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent pad in the maximum stretched state. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the absorbent pad is attached to the pad holder, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Vb-Vb in FIG. 5(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are designated by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratios of the dimensions may differ from those of the actual ones.

[0012] 1(a) and 1(b) show a disposable diaper (hereinafter simply referred to as "diaper") 1, which is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the diaper 1 has a pad holder (hereinafter simply referred to as "holder") 10 that is worn in a circular shape around the waist of a wearer, and an absorbent pad 20 that is detachably attached to the holder 10. The holder 10 of the diaper 1 is a preferred embodiment of the holder of the present invention. The diaper 1 is formed by connecting the holder 10 and the absorbent pad 20 via a holder-side fastening structure 15 and a pad-side fastening structure 25. The diaper 1 has a waist opening WH of the holder 10 and a pair of leg openings LH, LH that are defined by the lower end of the holder 10 in the height direction HD and both side edges of the absorbent pad 20 along the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction X, described below).

[0013] The diaper 1, which is a separate-type absorbent article, has a holder 10 and an absorbent pad 20 that can be freely connected and separated via a holder-side fastening structure 15 and a pad-side fastening structure 25, thereby reducing the environmental impact compared to conventional non-separate-type absorbent articles. In other words, when conventional non-separate-type absorbent articles in which the portion corresponding to the wearer's waist (the holder portion) and the portion corresponding to the wearer's crotch (the absorbent pad portion) are inseparably integrated, even if the holder portion is clean, it must be discarded together with the absorbent pad portion, which is soiled with excrement. However, with the diaper 1, the holder 10 remains intact and only the absorbent pad 20 needs to be replaced with a new one. This reduces waste disposal and carbon dioxide emissions compared to non-separate-type absorbent articles, thereby contributing to a reduction in the environmental impact. To achieve this effect more significantly, the mass of the absorbent pad 20 is preferably 40 g or less, more preferably 35 g or less, and even more preferably 30 g or less. Furthermore, since the absorbent pad 20 is removably fixed to the holder 10 while the diaper 1 is being worn, the absorbent pad 20 can be easily replaced with a new one, and the burden of replacing the diaper 1 is significantly reduced compared to conventional non-separate type absorbent articles.

[0014] The holder 10 is attached in a ring shape around the wearer's waist and holds the absorbent pad 20 in a state where it is attached to the wearer, i.e., worn, and has a height direction HD along the wearer's height direction and a circumferential direction CD along the waist direction.

[0015] Here, the absorbent pad 20 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1(b) and FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). The absorbent pad 20 includes a topsheet 21 positioned relatively close to the wearer's skin, a backsheet 22 positioned relatively far from the wearer's skin, and an absorbent body 23 positioned between the two sheets 21 and 22. The topsheet 21 is liquid permeable, and the backsheet 22 is liquid impermeable, poorly liquid permeable, or water-repellent. These components constituting the absorbent pad 20 are joined together by known joining means such as adhesives. The absorbent pad 20 has a shape that is elongated in one direction in a plan view. When the absorbent pad 20 is in use, its longitudinal direction is aligned with the height direction HD of the holder 10 when the diaper 10 is attached to the wearer. The longitudinal direction of the absorbent pad 20 corresponds to the longitudinal direction X, which corresponds to the front-to-back direction of the wearer of the diaper 10. The lateral direction Y of the absorbent pad 20, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, corresponds to the circumferential direction CD of the holder 10. The absorbent pad 20 has a pad-side fastening structure 25 in one or both end regions 20e in the longitudinal direction X. The pad-side fastening structure 25 is detachably attachable to the holder-side fastening structure 15 of the holder 10. In this embodiment, the pad-side fastening structure 25 is provided on the skin-facing surface of the absorbent pad 20. The pad-side fastening structure 25 is provided in each of the end regions 20e, 20e of the absorbent pad 20 in the longitudinal direction X. The absorbent pad 20 is also configured so that the end region 20e having the pad-side fastening structure 25 can be folded back toward the backsheet 22 after the pad-side fastening structure 25 is fastened to the holder-side fastening structure 15. This point will be described later.

[0016] In this specification, the term "skin-facing surface" refers to the surface of a worn article such as an absorbent article, holder, or absorbent pad, or a component thereof (for example, the holder-side fastening structure of a holder), which faces the wearer's skin when the worn article is being worn, and the term "non-skin-facing surface" refers to the surface of the worn article or a component thereof, which faces the opposite side from the skin when the worn article is being worn.

[0017] The holder 10 will be described in detail below. The holder 10 has a circumferential direction CD along the waist circumference direction of the wearer and a height direction HD along the height direction of the wearer. The holder 10 also has a front body F placed on the wearer's abdominal side (front side) and a back body R placed on the wearer's dorsal side (rear side), and is equipped with a holder main body 11 that forms the main body of the holder 10. The holder main body 11 forms the outer shape (outline) of the holder 10 in a plan view, and the upper end 10a and lower end 10b of the holder 10 in the height direction HD are the upper and lower ends of the holder main body 11.

[0018] In this embodiment, the holder 10 (holder main body 11) is annular as shown in Figures 1(a) and 2, and has a waist opening WH into which the wearer's torso is inserted when worn. Specifically, in the holder 10 of this embodiment, the holder main bodies 11 of the front body F and the back body R are joined to each other at both longitudinal ends thereof by known joining means such as adhesive or fusion bonding to form a pair of joining sections S, S, and the front body F and the back body R are connected via this pair of joining sections S, S to form an annular shape. The joining sections S correspond to the side seal sections in a typical non-separate pants-type disposable diaper.

[0019] In this embodiment, the holder main body 11 has different shapes in plan view in the maximum extended state between the front piece F and the back piece R (see FIGS. 3(a) and (b)). 3(a), the holder body 11 of the front body F has an upper end 11a and a lower end 11b that are parallel to a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD, side edges 11e, 11e extending downward in the height direction HD from both ends of the upper end 11a, and oblique sides 11d, 11d connecting the lower ends of the side edges 11e, 11e in the height direction HD to both ends of the lower end 11b. The oblique side 11d is curved convexly upward in the height direction HD. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the holder body 11 of the back piece R has an upper end 11a parallel to a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD, side edges 11e, 11e extending downward in the height direction HD from both ends of the upper end 11a, and a lower end 11b connecting the lower ends of the side edges 11e, 11e in the height direction HD. The lower end 11b is curved downward in the height direction HD.

[0020] In this specification, the term "maximum stretched state" refers to a state in which the elastic members of each part of a wearing article, such as an absorbent article, holder, or absorbent pad, are stretched to their maximum extent and expanded to the same dimensions as the design dimensions, i.e., the dimensions when the article is spread out flat without any influence of the elastic members.

[0021] In this embodiment, the holder main body parts 11 of the front body pieces F and the back body pieces R each include an outer layer sheet 13 that forms the non-skin-facing surface (outer surface) of the holder 10, and an inner layer sheet 12 that forms the skin-facing surface (inner surface) of the holder 10. The inner layer sheet 12 can come into contact with the wearer's skin when the holder 10 is worn.

[0022] In this embodiment, the holder 10 (holder main body 11) includes elastic members 14 arranged to be stretchable in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD (circumferential direction CD). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1(b) and FIGS. 3(a) and (b), a plurality of elastic members 14 are arranged between the outer layer sheet 13 and the inner layer sheet 12 to be stretchable in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD (circumferential direction CD). As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of elastic members 14 extend over the entire length of the front body F and the back body R in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD (circumferential direction CD), and are arranged intermittently in the height direction HD. Each elastic member 14 is fixed to other surrounding members with an adhesive. The number and positions of the elastic members 14 are not particularly limited and can be determined appropriately taking into consideration the fit of the holder 10 to the wearer's body, etc.

[0023] Nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, resin films, etc. manufactured by various methods can be used for both sheets 12 and 13. Specific examples of nonwoven fabrics that can be used for each of sheets 12 and 13 include spunbond nonwoven fabrics, air-through nonwoven fabrics, and needle-punched nonwoven fabrics, and they may have a single-layer structure or a laminate structure in which one or more types of nonwoven fabrics are laminated. The sheets 12, 13 may be of the same type or different types. Here, "same type" means that the manufacturing process, type of constituent fibers, diameter and length of the constituent fibers, thickness and basis weight of the fiber sheet are all the same between the sheets. If even one of these is different, the sheets are "different" from each other.

[0024] Since the holder 10 does not include an absorbent that absorbs and retains moisture, if washable materials are used for the constituent members of the holder main body 11, including the sheets 12 and 13, the holder 10 can be washed and reused. The fact that the holder 10 is washable leads to a reduction in the amount of waste and carbon dioxide emissions, and contributes to reducing the burden on the environment. From the viewpoint of making the holder 10 washable, it is preferable that the holder 10 be made of woven fabric. In other words, it is preferable that the constituent members of the holder main body 11, including the sheets 12 and 13, be woven fabric.

[0025] One or both of the sheets 12, 13 may be stretchable in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD (circumferential direction CD). The holder for the absorbent article of the present invention includes a configuration that does not include the above-mentioned elastic member 14, and in such a configuration, it is preferable that one or both of the sheets 12, 13 are stretchable in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD. The holder of the present invention includes, for example, a configuration in which the outer layer sheet 13 is stretchable in a direction perpendicular to the height direction HD and the inner layer sheet 12 is not stretchable.

[0026] The holder 10 has an inverted attachment portion 16 on one or both of the front body piece F and the back body piece R. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) and 3(a) and 3(b), the front body piece F and the back body piece R each have an inverted attachment portion 16. The inverted attachment portion 16f on the front body piece F is a portion located lower in the height direction HD than the lower end of the side edge 11e of the holder main body portion 11 on the front body piece F. The inverted attachment portion 16r on the back body piece R is a portion located lower in the height direction HD than the lower end of the side edge 11e of the holder main body portion 11 on the back body piece R. The inverted attachment portions 16f, 16r have a first surface 31 facing the skin side when worn and a second surface 32 facing away from the skin. The first surface 31 is the skin-facing surface of the inner layer sheet 12, and the second surface 32 is the skin-facing surface of the outer layer sheet 13. The inverted attachment portions 16f, 16r have a holder-side fastening structure 15 on the first surface 31. As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the inverted attachment portion 16 is configured so that the pad-side fastening structure 25 can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure 15 with the first surface 31 folded back toward the outer surface of the holder 10.

[0027] The holder-side fastening structure 15 may be any known detachable fastening structure as long as it can detachably fasten the pad-side fastening structure 25 (see FIG. 3) of the absorbent pad 20. For example, one or both of the holder-side fastening structure 15 and the pad-side fastening structure 25 may have an adhesive portion formed by applying an adhesive, and the pad-side fastening structure 25 may be detachably fastened to the holder-side fastening structure 15 via the adhesive portion.

[0028] In this embodiment, a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener is used as the fastening structure including the holder-side fastening structure 15 and the pad-side fastening structure 25. The term "mechanical hook-and-loop fastener" used here refers to a fastener that is a set of a surface member (male member) having hook material (engaging member) made of hook-shaped protrusions arranged on one surface, and a surface member (female member) having loop material made of pile-shaped protrusions arranged on one surface. A specific example of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener is Magic Tape (registered trademark). Specifically, in this embodiment, the holder-side fastening structure 15 is a female member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, and includes a base material and a fastening region provided on the non-skin-facing surface (outer surface) of the base material, to which the pad-side fastening structure 25 can be fastened. The base material of the holder-side fastening structure 15 is directly fixed to the holder main body 11 via a known joining means such as adhesive or fusion bonding. The pad-side fastening structure 25 is a male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, and typically has a configuration in which a large number of hook members are arranged on the surface of a base material made of a resin film, woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, or the like.

[0029] A method for attaching the absorbent pad 20 to the holder 10 will now be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and (b), the inverted attachment portion 16 is folded back onto the outer surface side of the holder 10 so that the first surface 31 faces away from the skin side of the wearer. At this time, the holder-side fastening structure 15 is also facing away from the skin side of the wearer. In this state, the pad-side fastening structure 25 is pressed against the holder-side fastening structure 15 to fasten them. 1(a) and 1(b), the inverted attachment portion 16 is unfolded so that the first surface 31 faces the skin side of the wearer. When unfolding, the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 in the longitudinal direction X, which is integrated with the inverted attachment portion 16, is folded back to the side opposite the skin side of the wearer, i.e., to the backsheet 22 side. In this manner, the absorbent pad 20 is attached to the holder 10, and the end regions 20e of the absorbent pad 20 in the longitudinal direction X are folded back toward the backsheet 22 and positioned on the inner surface side of the holder 10. This state is the preferred state for use of the diaper 1 of this embodiment.

[0030] In the holder 10 of this embodiment, the inverted attachment portion 16 is configured so that the pad-side fastening structure 25 of the absorbent pad 20 can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure 15 with the first surface folded back toward the outer surface of the holder 10, and therefore, as described above, the pad-side fastening structure 25 can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure 15 with the holder-side fastening structure 15 facing the outer surface of the holder 10. This makes it possible to easily attach the absorbent pad 20 to the holder 10. Furthermore, when replacing the absorbent pad 20 attached to the holder 10 with a new one, the first surface 31 of the inverted attachment portion 16 can be folded back toward the outer surface of the holder 10 and the pad-side fastening structure 25 can be removed from the holder-side fastening structure 15, making it easy to replace the absorbent pad 20.

[0031] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, when the inverted attachment portion 16 of the holder 10 is unfolded, the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 is located on the skin-facing side of the inverted attachment portion 16, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). Therefore, when the diaper 1 is viewed from the non-skin-facing side, the appearance of the diaper 1 is neat, as shown in FIG. 1(a). Thus, the diaper 1 of this embodiment has an excellent appearance. Furthermore, since the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 is located on the skin-facing side of the inverted attachment portion 16, the holder 10 is less likely to be soiled by the wearer's excrement. Furthermore, the pad-side fastening structure 25 and the holder-side fastening structure 15 are located on the skin-facing side of the holder 10 when they are joined together. In other words, the pad side fastening structure 25 and the holder side fastening structure 15 are sandwiched between the holder 10 and the wearer's skin when they are connected together, thereby preventing unintentional separation of the pad side fastening structure 25 and the holder side fastening structure 15 and preventing the absorbent pad 20 from coming off the holder 10.

[0032] By positioning the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 on the skin-facing side of the inverted attachment portion 16, the absorbent pad 20 can be effectively utilized. This point will be described below. For example, as in the absorbent article of Patent Document 2, when an end region of an absorbent pad is attached to the non-skin-facing surface of a holder, the part of the absorbent pad from the edge of the end region to the lower edge of the holder in the height direction is positioned on the non-skin-facing surface side of the holder. 1(a) and 1(b), in the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 is located on the skin-facing side of the holder 10. Therefore, the length of the portion of the absorbent pad 20 located on the skin-facing side of the holder 10 in the longitudinal direction X can be relatively increased, and the portion of the absorbent pad 20 that comes into direct contact with the wearer's skin can be further increased, thereby enabling the absorbent pad 20 to be used effectively. As described above, the diaper 1 of this embodiment has an excellent appearance, the holder 10 is less likely to get dirty, the absorbent pad 20 is less likely to come off the holder 10, and the absorbent pad 20 can be effectively utilized.

[0033] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the absorbent pad 20 preferably has end flaps 20f in the end regions 20e in the longitudinal direction X, and has a pad-side fastening structure 25 on the surface of the end flaps 20f facing the topsheet 21. The end flaps 20f are formed by one or both of the topsheet 21 and the backsheet 22 extending from the end of the absorbent body 23. The absorbent pad 20 has the end flaps 20f and the pad-side fastening structure 25, which have the following advantages: The end flaps 20f do not include the absorbent body 23, and therefore are thinner than the portions of the absorbent pad 20 other than the end flaps 20f. Therefore, after the pad side fastening structure 25 is fastened to the holder side fastening structure 15, when the end region 20e having the pad side fastening structure 25 is folded back toward the back sheet 22, the end region 20e can be easily folded back, and when folded back, the thickness of the end region 20e can be made relatively thin, making it less likely that the wearer will feel uncomfortable when wearing the diaper 1.

[0034] The absorbent pad 20 preferably has two or more pad-side fastening structures 25 on its skin-facing surface. This allows the absorbent pad 20 to be attached to the holder 10 more securely. To make this effect more pronounced, the number of pad-side fastening structures 25 that the absorbent pad 20 has on its skin-facing surface is preferably two or more, more preferably four or more, and even more preferably six or more. The upper limit of the number of pad-side fastening structures 25 that the absorbent pad 20 has on its skin-facing surface can be set to 10. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the absorbent pad 20 preferably has one or more second fastening structures 26 on its non-skin-facing side. The second fastening structures 26 are fastening structures used to fasten at least a portion of the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 having the pad-side fastening structure 25 to the backsheet 22 side of the absorbent pad 20, to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent pad 20. The second fastening structures 26 are preferably located in the end region 20e. Instead of being located in the end region 20e, the second fastening structures 26 may be located in a position facing the folded-over end region 20e. The presence of the second fastening structures 26 allows the end region 20e of the absorbent pad 20 to be stably maintained in a folded-over state as shown in FIG. 1(b) when the diaper 1 is worn, thereby stably maintaining the diaper 1 in a preferred state of use.

[0035] In the holder 10, the length F1 of the front piece F and the length R1 of the back piece R in the height direction HD may be the same or different. When the length F1 of the front piece F and the length R1 of the back piece R are different, the length F1 of the front piece F may be longer than the length R1 of the back piece R, or the length F1 of the front piece F may be shorter than the length R1 of the back piece R. Generally, excretory parts such as the urethral opening of a wearer are located on the abdominal side of the wearer, so from the viewpoint of making the holder 10 less susceptible to soiling, it is preferable that the length F1 of the front piece F be short. From the viewpoint of ensuring that the back piece R properly covers the wearer's buttocks and gives the wearer a sense of security, it is preferable that the length R1 of the back piece R be long. In other words, from the viewpoint of achieving both of these, it is preferable that the length F1 of the front piece F be shorter than the length R1 of the back piece R. More specifically, the length F1 of the front piece F is preferably 80% or less of the length R1 of the back piece R, more preferably 75% or less, and even more preferably 70% or less. The lower limit of the length F1 of the front body F can be set to 50% of the length R1 of the back body R. When the diaper 1 or holder 10 is for an adult, the length F1 of the front body F is preferably at least 5 cm shorter than the length R1 of the back body R, more preferably at least 6 cm shorter, and even more preferably at least 7 cm shorter.

[0036] The holder 10 is preferably made of an elastic member that is elastic in the height direction HD and the circumferential direction CD. This improves the fit of the holder 10. Furthermore, when the diaper 1 is worn, the absorbent pad 20 can be pulled up, thereby improving the fit of the absorbent pad 20. To ensure that these effects are more pronounced, the elasticity of the elastic member constituting the holder 10 is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 15% or more, and even more preferably 20% or more. The upper limit of the elasticity of the holder 10 can be set to 40%. The elasticity of the elastic member constituting the holder 10 can be measured by the following method.

[0037] <Method for measuring stretch ratio> First, in the natural state, two marks are made on the outer surface of the holder 10 with an oil-based pen or the like, spaced a fixed distance L0 (e.g., 100 mm) apart in the extension / contraction direction of the holder 10. The marked areas on the holder 10 are then clamped between the chucks of a tensile tester (Shimadzu Corporation, model number: Autograph AG-X). Next, the distance between the chucks is increased at a rate of 300 mm / min, and the distance between the chucks when the tensile load reaches 3 N is defined as L1. The extension / contraction ratio is then calculated using the following formula. Stretching ratio=(L1-L0) / L0

[0038] It is also preferable that the holder 10 has liquid-absorbency. This allows the holder 10 to absorb sweat while wearing the diaper 1, thereby reducing discomfort caused by sweat even when wearing the diaper 1 for a long period of time. Here, having liquid-absorbency means that when a drop (approximately 0.05 cc) of saline is dropped using a Komagome pipette or the like, the drop is absorbed and becomes invisible within three seconds of contacting the holder 10. One method for imparting liquid-absorbency to the holder 10 is to use a liquid-absorbent material as the outer layer sheet 13 or the inner layer sheet 12. Examples of liquid-absorbent materials include cotton and polyester.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. For example, the holder of the present invention may be one that is worn in a ring shape around the wearer's waist when in use, but does not have to be ring-shaped when not in use. For example, holder main body 11 may be in the form of a long strip that is long in one direction, and one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of holder main body 11 may be detachably connectable, so that holder main body 11 is in the form of a strip when not in use and is ring-shaped when in use (when worn) by connecting one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of holder main body 11. Alternatively, holder main body 11 may be divided into multiple members in the circumferential direction CD (for example, a member corresponding to front body F and a member corresponding to back body R), and these multiple members may be detachably connectable in one direction, so that these multiple members are connected to form ring-shaped holder main body 11 when in use (when worn).

[0040] Furthermore, the planar shape of the front body F and back body R of the holder 10 in the maximum extended state is not particularly limited, and may be a substantially rectangular shape, etc. Furthermore, the front body F and back body R may have the same shape and dimensions as each other in a planar view.

[0041] In the above embodiment, both the outer layer sheet 13 and the inner layer sheet 12 have a single-layer structure, but in the present invention, one or both of the sheets 12, 13 may have a laminated structure. For example, the outer layer sheet 13 may have a laminated structure of two or more sheets including a sheet that is stretchable in the lateral direction Y, and the inner layer sheet 12 may have a single-layer structure made of a non-stretchable sheet.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the holder 10 includes the outer layer sheet 13 and the inner layer sheet 12 as sheet-like members constituting the holder main body 11, but in the present invention, the holder 10 may include sheet-like members other than the two sheets 12, 13. Specifically, for example, in addition to the two sheets 12, 13, the holder 10 (holder main body 11) may further include a functional sheet that is placed in an area corresponding to the waist of the wearer on the skin-facing surface (inner surface) of the holder 10. The functional sheet has at least one of various functions, such as sweat absorption, moisture absorption, antibacterial properties, and deodorizing properties.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the holder-side fastening structure 15 is a female member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, and the pad-side fastening structure 25 is a male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, but in the present invention, the holder-side fastening structure 15 may be a male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, and the pad-side fastening structure 25 may be a female member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener. The above-described male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener or the like can be used as the second fastening structure 26. The surface to which the second fastening structure 26 is fastened is preferably provided with a nonwoven fabric having good engagement properties or a female member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener.

[0044] A pair of leakage preventing cuffs may be arranged on both sides of the absorbent pad 20 along the longitudinal direction X, so as to stand up against the wearer's skin when the diaper 1 is worn. Each leakage preventing cuff may include a leakage preventing cuff-forming sheet that forms the main body of the leakage preventing cuff, and an elastic member fixed to the sheet in a stretched state in the longitudinal direction X.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the planar shape of the absorbent pad 20 is an approximately hourglass shape in which the central region in the vertical direction X is shorter in the horizontal direction Y than the end regions 20e in the vertical direction X, but the planar shape of the absorbent pad 20 is not limited to this and may be, for example, an approximately rectangular shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1. Absorbent articles (diapers) 10 Holder 11 Holder body 12 Inner layer sheet 13 Outer layer sheet 14 Elastic member 15 Holder side fastening structure 16 Reverse mounting section 20 absorbent pads 21 Surface sheet 22 Back sheet 23 Absorbent 25 Pad side fastening structure 26 Second fastening structure WH Waist opening LH leg opening F Front R back HD holder height direction Circumferential direction of CD holder X Longitudinal direction of absorbent pad Y Width of absorbent pad

Claims

1. A pad holder that is worn in a circular shape around the waist of a wearer and holds an absorbent pad in a state where it is worn on the wearer, The garment has a circumferential direction along the waist circumference direction of the wearer and a height direction along the height direction of the wearer, and has a front body arranged on the abdominal side of the wearer and a back body arranged on the back side of the wearer, An inverted attachment portion is provided on one or both of the front body and the back body, The inverted attachment portion has a first surface facing the skin side when worn and a second surface facing away from the skin side, and has a holder-side fastening structure on the first surface, and is configured so that the pad-side fastening structure of the absorbent pad can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure when the first surface is folded back toward the outer surface of the pad holder, The pad holder has a length of the front body portion that is 80% or less of a length of the rear body portion in the height direction.

2. A pad holder that is worn in a circular shape around the waist of a wearer and that holds an absorbent pad in a state where it is attached to the wearer, The garment has a circumferential direction along the waist circumference direction of the wearer and a height direction along the height direction of the wearer, and has a front body arranged on the abdominal side of the wearer and a back body arranged on the back side of the wearer, An inverted attachment portion is provided on one or both of the front body and the back body, The inverted attachment portion has a first surface facing the skin side when worn and a second surface facing away from the skin side, and has a holder-side fastening structure on the first surface, and is configured so that the pad-side fastening structure of the absorbent pad can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure when the first surface is folded back toward the outer surface of the pad holder, The pad holder is such that the length of the front body is shorter than the length of the back body in the height direction by 5 cm or more.

3. An absorbent article comprising the pad holder according to claim 1 or 2 and the absorbent pad, The absorbent pad comprises a top sheet that is positioned closer to the wearer's skin when worn, a back sheet that is positioned farther from the wearer's skin, and an absorbent body that is positioned between these two sheets, and has a pad-side fastening structure in one or both longitudinal end regions, and the end region having the pad-side fastening structure can be folded back toward the back sheet after the pad-side fastening structure is fastened to the holder-side fastening structure, thereby forming an absorbent article.

4. An absorbent article having a pad holder and an absorbent pad, the pad holder is attached in a circular shape around the waist of the wearer and is adapted to hold the absorbent pad in a state where it is attached to the wearer; the pad holder has a circumferential direction along the waist circumference direction of the wearer and a height direction along the height direction of the wearer, and has a front body portion disposed on the abdominal side of the wearer and a back body portion disposed on the back side of the wearer, An inverted attachment portion is provided on one or both of the front body and the back body, The inverted attachment portion has a first surface facing the skin side when worn and a second surface facing away from the skin side, and has a holder-side fastening structure on the first surface, and is configured so that the pad-side fastening structure of the absorbent pad can be fastened to the holder-side fastening structure when the first surface is folded back toward the outer surface of the pad holder, The absorbent pad comprises a top sheet located closer to the wearer's skin when worn, a back sheet located farther from the wearer's skin, and an absorbent body located between these two sheets, and has a pad-side fastening structure in one or both end regions in the longitudinal direction, and the end region having the pad-side fastening structure can be folded back toward the back sheet after the pad-side fastening structure is fastened to the holder-side fastening structure, The absorbent article has two or more pad-side fastening structures on the skin-facing surface side, and one or more second fastening structures on the non-skin-facing surface side.

5. 5. The absorbent article according to claim 3, wherein the absorbent pad has an end flap portion in the longitudinal end region in which one or both of the top sheet and the back sheet extend from the end of the absorbent body, and the end flap portion has the pad side fastening structure on the surface facing the top sheet.

6. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the pad holder is made of an elastic member having an elasticity of 10% or more.

7. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the pad holder has liquid-absorbent properties.

8. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the pad holder is made of woven fabric.

9. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the absorbent pad has a mass of 40 g or less.

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