absorbent articles

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article popping up respective types of information that is normally invisible, on a hook-and-loop fastener fixing material part, when needed.SOLUTION: An absorbent article consisting of a plurality of sheets from a back body area to a front body area including a crotch area, comprises resin tape parts projecting from an end of the back body area in the width direction and including hook-and-loop fastener male parts, an absorber primarily provided on the crotch area, absorbing excretion and having the thickness, and a white translucent material with a certain degree of elasticity stuck to a non-skin surface side of the front body area, the hook-and-fastener fixing member having small embossed sections on the whole surface and having a bulge part on the non-skin surface side enclosed by the embossed sections. The absorbent article includes sticking targets printed thereon, the sticking targets consisting of figures, characters or composite thereof, formed on the non-skin surface side enclosed by the embossed section of the hook-and-loop fastener fixing material, closer to a skin surface side than the bulge part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article. [Background technology]

[0002] Tape-type diapers are known as absorbent articles that have a hook-and-loop fastener on the back side, an absorbent portion in the crotch area, and a tape-like fastener fastener on the abdominal side. The wearer puts on the diaper by placing the absorbent portion under the wearer's crotch and fastening the hook-and-loop fastener to the hook-and-loop fastener fastener. The hook-and-loop fastener fastener has a certain width in the diaper width direction, and can be adjusted to provide optimal pressure depending on the wearer's body shape and abdominal fullness (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Various patterns, letters, etc. can be printed in the areas where the hook-and-loop fastener fastening material is present. For example, multiple hook-and-loop fastener fixing targets with numbers symmetrically placed in the width direction can be printed in the areas where the hook-and-loop fastener fastening material is present. When the hook-and-loop fastener fixing targets are numbers, if the hook-and-loop fastener is fixed at the points with the same numbers, the absorbent will correctly abut against the wearer's crotch (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-137656 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-172814 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When patterns are applied to the entire non-skin-facing side of the diaper or to the fastener for the fastener in order to improve aesthetics, the fastening target for the hook-and-loop fastener can become an obstacle in design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a diaper in which small embossed sections are provided on the entire surface of the nonwoven fabric constituting the fastener fastening material, and hook-and-loop fastener fixing targets are printed on the skin-facing side of the fastener fastening material, so that when a stretching force is applied to the fastener fastening material and the portion surrounded by the embossed sections stretches, the hook-and-loop fastener fixing targets clearly appear.

[0007] Specifically, the present invention is an absorbent article composed of multiple sheets that extends from the back body region to the front body region and encompasses the crotch region, and is equipped with: a resin tape portion having a hook-and-loop male portion that protrudes widthwise from the end of the back body region; a thick absorbent body that is provided mainly in the crotch region and absorbs exudates; and a hook-and-loop fastener fastener that is a white, translucent member with a certain degree of elasticity that is attached to the non-skin-facing side of the front body region and has small embossed sections all over its surface and a portion that bulges out toward the non-skin-facing side surrounded by the embossed sections; and an attachment target consisting of a figure, letter, or a combination thereof is printed on the hook-and-loop fastener fastener fastener on the skin-facing side of the portion that bulges out toward the non-skin-facing side surrounded by the embossed sections, on the skin-facing side of the portion that bulges out toward the non-skin-facing side surrounded by the embossed sections.

[0008] The fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners may be made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric, and the attachment target may be printed on a printing layer provided on the skin-facing side of the portion of the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners surrounded by the embossed section.

[0009] The attachment target may be printed on the non-skin-facing side of any of the sheets constituting the absorbent article.

[0010] Each of the embossed sections may be generally circular.

[0011] In addition to the attachment target, an aesthetically pleasing graphic is printed on the non-skin-facing side of the sheet that is visible from the non-skin-facing side that constitutes the absorbent article, or on the printed layer of the fastening material for the hook-and-loop fastener, and the attachment target may have a relationship with the aesthetically pleasing graphic.

[0012] The attachment targets may be provided at equal distances from a widthwise centerline of the absorbent article, and may have different colors depending on the distance from the widthwise centerline.

[0013] A first waist gather may be provided on the skin-facing side of the end of the rear body region, the first waist gather having at least its longitudinal end side bonded to the adjacent sheet.

[0014] A second waist gather may be provided on the skin-facing side of the end of the front body region, and at least the longitudinal end sides thereof may be bonded to the adjacent sheet.

[0015] The absorbent body may not be present on the skin-facing side of the attachment target attached at the position where the fastening material for hook-and-loop fastener is to be provided.

[0016] In addition to the attachment target, a mark notifying an abnormality may be printed at the position where the hook-and-loop fastener fastening material is to be provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, since the hook-and-loop fastener fixing target and the like appear only when necessary on the fastener fastening material, the degree of freedom in designing the non-skin-facing side of the diaper can be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the front patch of the diaper according to the embodiment and the application target. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between the front patch of the diaper according to the embodiment and the application target. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the front patch and the application target appear when the diaper is not worn. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a front patch with tape attached. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows the front patch with the tape applied and tensioned. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing waist gathers arranged at the end of the back body region. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing waist gathers arranged at the end of the front body region. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a diaper with waist gathers arranged at both longitudinal ends. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows a label with a target for attachment and a warning message that becomes visible when tension is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Diapers according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

[0020] In this embodiment, a tape-type disposable diaper (an example of an "absorbent article" in the present application, In the diaper (hereinafter simply referred to as "diaper"), the longitudinal direction is the direction connecting the front body portion, which is placed opposite the wearer's abdomen, and the back body portion, which is placed opposite the wearer's back. Between the front body portion (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the back body portion (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (in the center in the longitudinal direction), the crotch portion, which is placed under the wearer's crotch (placed opposite the crotch). Furthermore, when the diaper is worn on a wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "worn state"), the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is the skin-facing side, and the side opposite the skin-facing side (the outer side when worn) is the non-skin-facing side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side is the thickness direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is the width direction. In addition, a view from the thickness direction is a planar view.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to this embodiment. The diaper 1 has a crotch region 1B, which corresponds to the crotch area of ​​the wearer, covering the genitals when worn; a front body region 1F, located in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the wearer's front body; and a back body region 1R, located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the wearer's back body. Resin tapes 2L and 2R (tape portions) are provided on the non-skin-facing side of the front body region 1F, protruding from both widthwise edges of the back body region 1R. The tapes 2L and 2R have minute hooks (male hook-and-loop fastener portions) that can be attached to a front patch 2F, a fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners, with minute loops arranged on its surface. When the front body region 1F is positioned on the wearer's abdominal side and the back body region 1R is positioned on the wearer's back, the hook-and-loop fasteners on the tapes 2L and 2R are attached to the front patch 2F, and the diaper 1 is secured to the wearer's body by encircling the wearer's abdomen and thighs. Since the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in this manner, the wearer can move freely while wearing the diaper 1.

[0022] The diaper 1 has an absorbent body, capable of absorbing and retaining liquid, mainly located near the crotch region 1B. To prevent gaps from forming between the diaper 1 and the wearer's skin, which could serve as a liquid leakage path, the diaper 1 also has leg gathers 3AL, 3AR around the wearer's legs (thighs), three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR located inward of the leg gathers 3AL, 3AR in the width direction of the diaper 1, and waist gathers 11 at least in the rear body region around the wearer's abdominal circumference. The leg gathers 3AL, 3AR, three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR, and waist gathers 11 adhere closely to the wearer's skin due to the elasticity of the elastic members. Therefore, liquid excreted from the wearer's genitals is absorbed by the absorbent body of the diaper 1 without leaking out. The elastic member may be selected from thread-like or strip-like rubber, etc., as appropriate.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a diaper according to an embodiment. The diaper 1 is formed by combining multiple sheets as shown in the figure. The diaper 1 has a cover sheet 4 that forms the outer surface when worn. The cover sheet 4 is a sheet-like member having a generally rectangular appearance with constrictions 4KL and 4KR in the areas corresponding to the long sides, and forms the exterior surface of the diaper 1. The constrictions 4KL and 4KR are provided in the areas where the wearer's thighs are located. The cover sheet 4 is provided to reinforce the back sheet 5, which will be described later, and to improve the feel.

[0024] The diaper 1 comprises a back sheet 5, an absorbent body 6, and a top sheet 7 (an example of the "first sheet" in this application), which are layered in this order on the wearer-facing surface of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5, the absorbent body 6, and the top sheet 7 are all sheet-like members having a substantially rectangular appearance, and are layered in this order on the cover sheet 4 with their longitudinal directions aligned with the longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5 is made of a liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin material to prevent leakage of excrement. The back sheet 5 is preferably made of a material that is also moisture-permeable to prevent stuffiness when worn. The top sheet 7 is made of an air-through nonwoven fabric containing thermoplastic resin fibers, and is placed on the wearer's skin side so as to cover the water-absorbing surface of the absorbent body 6. The top sheet 7 is partially or entirely liquid-permeable. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is worn, liquid can easily escape from the wearer. Fluid excreted from the diaper passes through the top sheet 7, which may come into contact with the wearer's skin, into the absorbent body 6, and is absorbed therein. The top sheet 7 may also be hydrophilic. The longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 is the same as the longitudinal directions of the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7.

[0025] The back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 all extend from the front body region 1F to the back body region 1R. Therefore, when the wearer's genitals are covered with the cover sheet 4, in which the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are laminated, the longitudinal ends of the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are located on the wearer's ventral and dorsal sides. In other words, the wearer's genitals are covered by the absorbent body 6 from the wearer's ventral to dorsal sides. Therefore, whether the wearer is in a ventral or dorsal position when excreting liquid, the excreted liquid will come into contact with the absorbent body 6 via the top sheet 7.

[0026] The diaper 1 also has elastic members 4SL, 4SR for forming the leg gathers 3AL, 3AR described above, which are provided between the cover sheet 4 and the back sheet 5 so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1. The number of elastic members 4SL, 4SR (e.g., three) is determined according to the elastic force (contractile force) required for the design of the diaper 1.

[0027] The diaper 1 also has long, strip-shaped side sheets 8L, 8R. The side sheets 8L, 8R are liquid-impermeable sheets provided on the long sides of the top sheet 7. Similar to the cover sheet 4, the side sheets 8L, 8R have constrictions 8KL, 8KR in the areas where the wearer's thighs will be located. Elastic members 8EL, 8ER are knitted into the side sheets 8L, 8R along their longitudinal direction to form three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR. When the diaper 1 is worn, i.e., when the diaper 1 is U-shaped in side view, the side sheets 8L, 8R are pulled longitudinally by the contractile force of the elastic members 8EL, 8ER, and rise from the top sheet 7 to form three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR that prevent liquid from leaking out.

[0028] The cover sheet 4 is provided with elastic members 4C, which prevent gaps from forming between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference, and which are arranged inward in the width direction of the diaper 1 from the elastic members 4SL and 4SR and along the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1. The elastic members 4C are provided in accordance with the elastic force (contractile force) required for the design of the diaper 1.

[0029] The waist gathers 11 are attached to the skin-facing sides of the top sheet 7 and the side sheets 8L, 8R at a position further back than the end of the absorbent body 6, and are biased by elastic members 11E to contract toward the widthwise center. When the tapes 2L, 2R provided on both the left and right sides of the waist gathers 11 are attached to the front patch 2F located on the abdominal side of the wearer, the elastic members 11E exert a contractile force to fit the diaper 1 closely to the wearer and prevent the formation of a gap between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference.

[0030] The absorbent body 6 has a structure in which granular absorbent resin such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), a hydrophilic polymer with a cross-linked structure that can absorb and retain water, is held in the gaps between short fibers of cellulosic fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers, or short fibers made by hydrophilizing synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. Therefore, in the absorbent body 6, the volumetric change of the absorbent resin before and after absorbing liquid basically occurs within the short fibers that hold the absorbent resin in the gaps. Therefore, when viewed as a whole, it can be said that the expansion rate of the thickness of the absorbent body 6 after absorbing liquid is not as large as the expansion rate of the absorbent resin itself.

[0031] The SAP particles of this embodiment refer to a resin composition containing SAP in a granular form. The term "SAP-containing resin composition" as used herein refers to a composition consisting of SAP alone, a composition containing SAP as the main component, or a resin composition containing SAP as the main component. This concept encompasses both compositions that contain other substances to the extent that they do not adversely affect the water absorption capacity. Examples of "other substances" include additives (such as surface modifiers added to make the particle surface hydrophobic) and unreacted monomers remaining during the synthesis of SAP.

[0032] The absorbent body 6 may be wrapped in a core wrap sheet 6A (not shown in the figure). The core wrap sheet 6A is a water-permeable sheet made of a nonwoven fabric formed from pulp fibers such as tissue paper or thin resin fibers, and it maintains the shape of the absorbent body 6 and prevents SAP particles from scattering into other structures. In addition, because it is water-permeable, it does not prevent urine from passing into the absorbent body 6 from the skin-facing side.

[0033] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the front patch and the attachment target of the diaper according to the embodiment. The front patch 2F in this embodiment is attached to the non-skin-facing side of the front body region and is a white, translucent nonwoven fabric with small, approximately circular embossed sections all over. Each area surrounded by the approximately circular embossed sections bulges toward the non-skin-facing side in the thickness direction and has a minute loop structure on its surface. Therefore, the front patch 2F functions as a fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners, fixing resin tapes 2L and 2R (tape portions) that protrude from both the left and right sides of the width direction of the back body region and have minute hooks (hook-and-loop male portions) to the bulging areas toward the non-skin-facing side in the thickness direction.

[0034] FIG. 3(a) shows an example of a printed attachment target 10. The front patch 2F is attached and fixed to the semi-transparent cover sheet 4 on the non-skin-facing side of the diaper with an adhesive such as hot melt. Further on the skin-facing side of the cover sheet 4 is the back sheet 5 that supports the absorbent body 6, and the attachment target 10 is printed on the non-skin-facing side of the back sheet 5. The attachment target 10 is a composite graphic that combines a background graphic and letters, with a roughly circular background graphic that is colored differently depending on the distance from the center line of the diaper in the width direction, and numbers that vary depending on the distance from the center line of the diaper in the width direction.

[0035] In this figure, the attachment target 10 has three background figures (10A, 10B, 10C) attached equidistantly from the centerline of the diaper in the width direction. The attachment target 10A is numbered "1," the attachment target 10B is numbered "2," and the attachment target 10C is numbered "3" in order from the centerline of the diaper in the width direction. The diaper wearer can attach hook-and-loop fastener tapes 2R and 2L to any of the attachment targets. By attaching tapes 2R and 2L to attachment targets of the same color and number, the degree of tightness of the diaper around the waist is the same on both sides, making it less likely for the diaper to slip off while being worn. The background figures do not need to be generally circular, and can be simple figures such as polygons, hearts, flowers, or leaves. The numbers do not need to be black, and can be outlined.

[0036] The absorbent body 6 does not extend to the skin side of the position where the attachment target 10 is located. The absorbent body is a thick sheet that receives exudates and absorbs moisture, and does not easily transmit light. Since the absorbent body 6 does not extend to the skin side of the position where the attachment target 10 is located, the attachment target 10 is easily visible through light transmitted from the skin side.

[0037] FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the front patch 2F and the attachment target 10. The front patch 2F has a continuous uneven shape consisting of embossed sections and the area surrounded by them. The front patch 2F is adhered to the cover sheet 4. The attachment target 10 is printed on the non-skin-facing side of the back sheet 5 laminated on the skin-facing side of the front patch 2F. As mentioned above, the area surrounded by the embossed sections of the front patch 2F can be secured by hanging tape 2R (or tape 2L) equipped with a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows another example of the relationship between the front patch and the attachment target of the diaper according to the embodiment. FIG. 4(a) shows a configuration in which the attachment target 10 is built into the front patch 2F. The front patch 2F in this figure is formed by bonding multiple layers of nonwoven fabric, specifically, nonwoven fabrics 2F1 and 2F2. Similar to FIG. 3, nonwoven fabric 2F1 is a nonwoven fabric having small, approximately circular embossed sections all over its surface. Nonwoven fabric 2F2 is bonded to nonwoven fabric 2F1 and serves as a printed layer on which the attachment target 10 is printed on the non-skin-facing side.

[0039] Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of a multi-layered front patch 2F. The non-skin-facing nonwoven fabric 2F1 of the front patch 2F has a continuous uneven surface consisting of embossed sections and the areas surrounded by them. The non-skin-facing nonwoven fabric 2F2 of the front patch 2F serves as a printing surface, and an attachment target 10 is printed between the non-skin-facing nonwoven fabric 2F1 and the non-skin-facing nonwoven fabric 2F1. The nonwoven fabrics 2F1 and 2F2 are bonded together, and the nonwoven fabric 2F2 is also bonded to the diaper cover sheet 4.

[0040] The specific form of the printed attachment target 10 is the same as that shown in Figure 3. With this configuration, the attachment target 10 can be seen through, eliminating the need to make the cover sheet 4 translucent. As in Figure 3, the absorbent body 6 does not extend to the skin-facing side of the position where the attachment target 10 is located, making the attachment target 10 easily visible through light transmitted from the skin-facing side.

[0041] Figure 5 shows how the front patch and application target 10 appear when the diaper is not being worn. As mentioned above, the front patch 2F is a translucent nonwoven fabric with small, roughly circular embossed sections all over its surface. Therefore, when no force is being applied to the front patch 2F, the application target 10 is blocked by the area surrounded by the embossed sections and cannot be clearly seen from the non-skin side. The same applies to the numbers attached to the application target 10.

[0042] In this way, since the attachment target 10 is unclear when no force is applied to the front patch 2F, it is possible to prevent the attachment target 10 from interfering with the design of the non-skin-facing side of the diaper when a highly aesthetic pattern is applied to the cover sheet 4, or the back sheet 5 if the cover sheet 4 is translucent, or the surface of the front patch 2F.

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a front patch with tape attached. As mentioned above, the area surrounded by the embossed section on the non-skin-facing side of the front patch 2F has a minute loop-shaped structure that functions as a fastener for the hook-and-loop fastener. This allows the diaper wearer to attach tapes 2R and 2L with hook-and-loop fasteners to the non-skin-facing side of the front patch 2F. Note that in this figure, no force is being applied to the front patch 2F, so the attachment target 10 is still unclear.

[0044] Figure 7 shows a front patch with tape attached and tensioned. When actually trying to put a diaper on a wearer, it is necessary to fasten the tape 2R, 2L equipped with hook-and-loop fasteners around the waist, so a stretching force is applied to the front patch 2F when the tape 2R, 2L is attached. As mentioned above, the front patch 2F is stretchable and can be stretched.

[0045] When putting on the diaper, if the front patch 2F is stretched in the width direction, the surface of the front patch 2F, which has a continuous uneven shape, becomes approximately linear due to the stretching. Then, the attachment target 10 that was on the sheet behind it becomes clearly visible as shown in Figure 7. The wearer can put on the diaper properly by attaching the tape 2R or 2L to one of the attachment targets 10A, 10B, or 10C that appears when putting on the diaper and has the same color and number.

[0046] The non-skin-facing side of the back sheet 5 is opaque, and the front patch 2 When the attachment target 10 is printed inside F, various aesthetically pleasing figures may be attached to the non-skin-facing side of the cover sheet 4 in addition to the attachment target 10. These figures may have a relationship with the figures constituting the attachment target 10. For example, if the attachment target 10 has a floral pattern, the attached figures may be the leaves of the plant that produces the flowers. In this way, a diaper can be realized in which flowers stand out when the diaper is worn.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a diaper according to the embodiment, viewed from the skin-facing side. Waist gathers 11 are provided near the skin-facing side of the rear body region. These waist gathers 11 correspond to the first waist gathers described in the claims. The waist gathers 11 are bonded to the side sheets 8L and 8R. At their longitudinal ends, they are bonded to all adjacent sheets, i.e., the side sheets 8L and 8R, as well as the top sheet 7. At these positions, all of the stacked sheets extending through these positions are bonded.

[0048] Elastic members 11E made of multiple rubber threads or the like are woven into the waist gathers 11, and are biased to contract toward the center in the width direction. When the tapes 2L, 2R provided on both sides of the waist gathers 11 are attached to the front patch 2F located on the abdominal side of the wearer, the elastic members 11E exert a contractile force to fit the diaper 1 closely to the wearer and prevent the formation of a gap between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference.

[0049] Furthermore, because the longitudinal ends of the waist gathers 11 are attached to the top sheet 7 and the side sheets 8L, 8R, a bag-like gap is formed at the end of the rear body region between the diaper sheets and the waist gathers 11. Generally, because the wearer often lies on their back, excrement tends to flow toward the rear body region. Even if excrement reaches the end of the rear body region without being completely absorbed by the absorbent core 6, the excrement will enter the bag-like gap. This prevents excrement from leaking out from the end of the rear body region.

[0050] By providing the waist gathers 11 at the waist contact portions at the end of the rear body region, the diaper becomes stretchable in the width direction. Although the degree of abdominal expansion of an infant changes from day to day, the waist gathers 11 can absorb the daily abdominal expansion to a certain extent. Therefore, the tapes 2R and 2L do not become unable to be attached to the attachment target 10 due to daily changes in the wearer's abdominal circumference.

[0051] Fig. 9 is a plan view showing waist gathers arranged at the edge of the front body region. In this figure, waist gathers 12 are provided near the edge of the front body region on the skin-facing side of the diaper according to this embodiment, instead of waist gathers 11. These waist gathers 12 correspond to the second waist gathers described in the claims. The waist gathers 12 are adhered to the side sheets 8L, 8R. Furthermore, their longitudinal ends are adhered to the top sheet 7 in addition to the side sheets 8L, 8R. A front patch 2F is attached to the non-skin-facing side of the diaper at the location of the waist gathers 12.

[0052] As with the case of providing waist gathers 11, the longitudinal ends of the waist gathers 12 are attached to all adjacent sheets, i.e., the top sheet 7 and side sheets 8L, 8R, so that a bag-like gap is formed at the edge of the front body region between the sheets constituting the diaper and the waist gathers 12. In the case of a male wearer, the urethral contact position may be close to the front body region. Also, the urethral contact opening may face the ventral side, making it easier for urine to reach the edge of the front body region. Even if urine reaches the edge of the front body region without being completely absorbed by the absorbent core 6, the urine will enter the bag-like gap. This prevents excrement from leaking from the edge of the front body region.

[0053] Elastic members 12E, such as a plurality of rubber threads, are woven into the waist gathers 12, and are biased to contract toward the widthwise center. When tapes 2L and 2R protruding from the edge of the back body region are attached to the front patch 2F attached to the non-skin-facing side of the diaper at the position of the waist gathers 12, the elastic members 12E exert a contractile force to fit the diaper 1 closely to the wearer, preventing the formation of a gap between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference.

[0054] Even when the waist gathers 12 are provided in the waist-contacting portion of the front body region, the diaper still has a contractile force in the width direction. By stretching the waist gathers 12, it is possible to accommodate to a certain extent changes in the wearer's everyday body shape. Therefore, even when the waist gathers 12 are provided, the tapes 2R and 2L do not become unable to adhere to the target positions as the wearer's abdominal circumference changes.

[0055] Figure 10 is a plan view of a diaper with waist gathers at both longitudinal ends. The diaper 1 can be provided with waist gathers 11 at the end of the rear body region and waist gathers 12 at the end of the front body region. The waist gathers 11 and 12 have the characteristics described in the explanations of Figures 8 and 9, respectively, and the bag-like gaps formed between the respective sheets prevent exudates from leaking from the waist-contacting portion.

[0056] By providing waist gathers 11, 12 at both longitudinal ends of the diaper, a significant portion of the abdominal circumference other than the tapes 2R, 2L of the diaper body 1 is provided with contractile force. This allows the amount of elastic members 11E, 12E woven into the waist gathers 11, 12, respectively, or their contractile force to be reduced, thereby improving the comfort of the diaper when worn.

[0057] FIG. 11 shows a diagram in which a warning message that becomes visible when tension is applied is printed alongside the attachment target. A warning message 13 alerting the wearer may be printed near, for example, the lower left of, the attachment target 10 printed on the non-skin-facing side of the backsheet 5 or on the non-skin-facing side of the nonwoven fabric 2F2 constituting the front patch 2F. In the example of FIG. 11(a), the attachment target 10 and the warning message 13 are printed on the non-skin-facing side of the backsheet 5, and the warning message 13 reads, "Caution! Too tight!" in smaller letters than the attachment target 10 and the numbers attached to the attachment target 10. The warning message 13 is a display that notifies the wearer of an abnormality and may be written in a language commonly used in the country or region in which the diaper 1 is sold, or in an easy-to-understand warning symbol.

[0058] As mentioned above, the front patch 2F has small, approximately circular embossed sections all over its non-skin-facing surface. When no force is applied to the front patch 2F, the attachment target 10 and the warning message 13 are obscured by the area surrounded by the embossed sections and cannot be clearly seen from the non-skin-facing side. When the front patch 2F is stretched widthwise during diaper putting, the surface layer of the front patch 2F, which has a continuous uneven shape, becomes approximately linear as a result of the stretching, and the attachment target 10 clearly stands out. However, because the size of the warning message 13 is sufficiently small compared to the attachment target 10, even when the front patch 2F is subjected to a force equivalent to that used when putting on a diaper and the surface layer of the front patch 2F is slightly stretched, the remaining unevenness of the surface layer of the front patch 2F makes the warning message 13 blurred and unreadable.

[0059] As mentioned above, the degree of abdominal expansion of a wearer, especially an infant, changes from moment to moment on a daily basis. With the tension corresponding to everyday abdominal expansion, the warning message 13 does not appear on the surface of the front patch 2F. However, as shown in Figure 11(b), when the wearer's abdomen is morbidly expanded and the diaper cannot be put on without stretching the front patch 2F with a very strong force, the surface of the front patch 2F becomes almost flat due to the stretching, and the warning message 13 appears clearly in addition to the attachment target 10. The wearer who sees the warning message 13 can determine that some abnormality has occurred in the wearer, and the presence of the warning message 13 can encourage early medical examination, contributing to the maintenance of the wearer's health. Furthermore, even if the wearer applies the tapes 2R and 2L to an inappropriate application target 10 and tightens the abdomen, the warning message 13 will also pop up, allowing the wearer to select an application target 10 on the outer side in the width direction, improving the wearer's comfort.

[0060] Although the embodiments of the absorbent article of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, if the warning message 13 appears on a daily basis even though the wearer is in good physical condition, it can be determined that the diaper size is too small for the wearer, and the wearer can be encouraged to purchase a new diaper. The warning message 13 may also include a message encouraging the wearer to purchase a new diaper.

[0061] The embodiments and application examples disclosed above can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Diapers 1R: Back area 1B...Inseam area 1F: Front body area 2R, 2L tape 2F, 2F1, 2F2 Front Patch 3BL, 3BR: 3D gathers 4. Cover sheet 5. Back seat 6. Absorber 7. Top sheet 8R, 8L side seats 10, 10A, 10B, 10C... Paste target 11,12··Waist Gather 11E, 12E Elastic member 13...Caution statement

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising a plurality of sheets extending from a rear body region to a front body region and including a crotch region, a resin tape portion provided with a hook-and-loop fastener male portion protruding in the width direction from the end of the back body region; a thick absorbent body that is provided mainly in the crotch region and absorbs exudates; a fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners, which is a white, semi-transparent member having a certain degree of stretchability and attached to the non-skin-facing side of the front body region, and which has small embossed sections on the entire surface and a bulging portion on the non-skin-facing side surrounded by the embossed sections; With a surface of the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners facing the skin side of the portion of the fastening material that bulges out toward the non-skin side and is surrounded by the embossed section, and a sticking target consisting of a figure, a letter, or a combination thereof is printed on the surface of the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners facing the skin side; the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners has an uneven shape formed over the entire width direction by the embossed sections and areas surrounded by the embossed sections, the attachment target is more clearly visible when a stretching force is applied to the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners in the width direction than when no force is applied to the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners; Absorbent articles.

2. The fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners is made of a plurality of layers of nonwoven fabric, The attachment target is printed on a printing layer provided on the skin-facing side of the portion surrounded by the embossed section in the fastening material for hook-and-loop fasteners. The absorbent article of claim 1.

3. The attachment target is printed on the non-skin-facing side of any one of the sheets constituting the absorbent article. The absorbent article of claim 1.

4. Each of the embossed sections is generally circular. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The non-skin-facing side of the sheet that constitutes the absorbent article and is visible from the non-skin-facing side, or the face sheet The printing layer of the fastener fastening material has a graphic printed thereon in addition to the attachment target. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The attachment targets are provided equidistant from the widthwise center line of the absorbent article, The color is changed depending on the distance from the center line in the width direction. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A first waist gather is provided on the skin-facing side of the end of the rear body region, and at least the longitudinal end side is bonded to the adjacent sheet. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A second waist gather is provided on the skin-facing side of the end of the front body region, and at least the longitudinal end side is bonded to the adjacent sheet. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the absorbent body is not present on the skin-facing side of the attachment target attached at a position where the fastening material for hook-and-loop fastener is to be provided; The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. In addition to the attachment target, a warning mark is printed at the position where the fastening material for the hook-and-loop fastener is to be provided. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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