Individually packaged absorbent articles

Abstract

To provide an absorbent body individual package allowing even a person with disability in a hand and fingertip to easily take out an absorbent article, eliminating necessity to touch an absorbent article body with the hand when taking out the absorbent article, and being hygienically usable.SOLUTION: There is provided an, absorbent article individual package comprising an absorbent article including a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorber located therebetween, and an individual packaging sheet disposed on a non-skin contact surface side of the absorbent article, the absorbent article individual package is folded into three by a first fold line and a second fold line spaced apart in a longitudinal direction and respectively extending in a width direction. The absorbent article individual package is characterized in that the individual packaging sheet includes a first cut extending in the width direction in an area between the first fold line and the second fold line in the longitudinal direction, and an adhesive ultimately used to secure to an underwear is applied to a part overlapping the first cut in a thickness direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an individual absorbent article package having an absorbent article and an individual packaging sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, absorbent articles are composed of a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, so that bodily fluids such as urine pass through the top sheet and are absorbed by the absorbent body.

[0003] Absorbent articles of this type are generally worn as underwear, but as they come into direct contact with the skin, hygiene must be taken into consideration. For this reason, absorbent articles are often sold in packages in which multiple absorbent articles are individually wrapped in wrapping sheets.

[0004] As a prior art example of such individual packaging for absorbent articles, Patent Document 1 discloses an individual packaging for absorbent articles in which an absorbent article is packaged in a packaging sheet, wherein the absorbent article is placed on the inner surface of the packaging sheet and folded together with the packaging sheet, the packaging sheet being made of a plastic film and having a first end on one side in the longitudinal direction and a second end on the other side, with the first end facing the outside of the individual packaging, the packaging sheet being provided with a closure tape for maintaining the packaging state of the individual packaging, the closure tape having a fixing part attached to the first end of the packaging sheet and a tab part extending outward in the longitudinal direction from the first end of the packaging sheet, the tab part having an adhesive layer on its inner surface and being removably attached to the outer surface of the packaging sheet, and the packaging sheet being characterized in that an embossed area is formed on the outer surface of the packaging sheet, overlapping at least a part of the tab part, and having an uneven outer surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-159318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Before use, such individual packages require the operator to pinch the individual packaging sheet or a tab tape provided at an end of the individual packaging sheet and peel the individual packaging sheet from the absorbent article body. However, the task of putting an absorbent article on underwear requires pinching and peeling off the tab tape or the edge of the individual package, which requires both hands, making the task particularly difficult for people with disabilities in their hands or fingers. Furthermore, when removing the absorbent article from the individual package, it is necessary to touch the surface of the absorbent article, such as the top sheet, with one's hand, which raises concerns about hygiene during use.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an individual package of absorbent articles that can be easily removed even by people with disabilities in their hands or fingertips, and that can be used hygienically without the need to touch the absorbent article body with the hands when removing the absorbent article. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The inventors conducted extensive research and have now completed the present invention, which provides an individual absorbent article package comprising an absorbent article and an individual packaging sheet arranged on the non-skin contacting side of the absorbent article, wherein the individual absorbent article package is folded in thirds along first and second fold lines that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and extend in the width direction, the individual packaging sheet has a first slit extending in the width direction in a region between the longitudinal first fold line and the second fold line, and an adhesive that will ultimately be used to fasten the sheet to underwear is applied to a portion that overlaps with the first slit in the thickness direction, thereby making it easy for even people with disabilities in their hands or fingers to take out the absorbent article and eliminating the need to touch the absorbent article body with their hands when taking out the absorbent article, thereby providing an individual absorbent article package that can be used hygienically.

[0009] (1) A first aspect of the present invention is an individually packaged absorbent article comprising an absorbent article including a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body located therebetween, and an individually packaged sheet arranged on the non-skin-contacting side of the absorbent article, wherein the individually packaged absorbent article is folded in three along a first fold line and a second fold line that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and extend in the width direction, the individually packaged absorbent sheet has a first slit extending in the width direction in a region between the first fold line and the second fold line in the longitudinal direction, and an adhesive that will ultimately be used to fasten the individually packaged absorbent article to underwear is applied to a portion that overlaps the first slit in the thickness direction.

[0010] (2) A second aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body as described in (1), characterized in that, in the folded-in-three state, one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article do not overlap in the thickness direction.

[0011] (3) A third aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article packaging body as described in (2), further comprising a release paper between the absorbent article and the individual packaging sheet, the release paper having a second cut extending in the width direction at a position overlapping the first cut in the thickness direction.

[0012] (4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is an individual absorbent article package described in (3), characterized in that the first cut and the second cut are either slits or perforations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an individually packaged absorbent article that can be easily removed even by people with disabilities in their hands or fingertips, and that can be used hygienically without the need to touch the absorbent article body with one's hands when removing the absorbent article. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a plan perspective view of an individual absorbent article package according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the individual package of FIG. 1, unfolded from the thirds, as viewed from the top sheet side. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing a manufacturing process for an individual absorbent article package according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. The following present embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following content. The present invention can be carried out by appropriately modifying it within the scope of its gist. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships, such as up, down, left, and right, are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0016] In the description of this specification, "wearing the absorbent article 10" refers to at least one of when the absorbent article 10 is worn and after it has been worn. The longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10 is the direction extending from the front to the back of the wearer when the absorbent article 10 is worn, and is the direction indicated by the symbol X in the drawings. The width direction of the absorbent article 10 is the direction transverse to or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is the direction indicated by the symbol Y in the drawings. The thickness direction of the absorbent article 10 is the direction in which the components constituting the absorbent article 10 are stacked, and is the direction indicated by the symbol Z in the drawings. The "skin-contacting surface" refers to the surface of each component, such as the absorbent body, that faces the wearer's skin when worn, and the "non-skin-contacting surface" refers to the surface of each component, such as the absorbent body, that faces away from the wearer's skin when worn. Body fluid refers to liquids excreted from the body to the outside, such as urine and water in loose stools. Furthermore, examples of absorbent article 10 include sanitary napkins and mild incontinence pads, and mild incontinence pads are particularly preferred, but the absorbent article is not limited to these and may be other absorbent articles.

[0017] <Individual packaging> Fig. 1 is a plan perspective view of an individual absorbent article package 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "individual package") 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the individual package 1 of the present invention is an individual absorbent article package including an absorbent article 10 and an individual packaging sheet 20 arranged on the non-skin contact side of the absorbent article 10.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a plan view of the individual package 1 of Fig. 1 when unfolded in thirds, as seen from the top sheet 11 side, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 in Fig. 2. The individual package 1 of the present invention is folded in thirds as shown in Fig. 1 by a first fold line 21 and a second fold line 22 that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and extend in the width direction. It is preferable that one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10 do not overlap in the thickness direction when folded in three. When one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction do not overlap in the thickness direction, the absorbent article 10 can be easily removed from the individual packaging sheet 20. It is also preferable that both widthwise ends of the individual packaging body 1 folded in three are bonded. Furthermore, both longitudinal ends of the individual packaging body 1 folded in three may or may not be bonded, but it is preferable that they are bonded. Tab tape or a hot melt adhesive can be used as the adhesive used to bond both longitudinal ends, with a hot melt adhesive being particularly preferable.

[0019] <Absorbent articles> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the absorbent article 10 provided in the individual packaging body 1 of the present invention includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 11, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 12, and an absorbent body 13 located therebetween. The longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 10 is preferably 130 mm to 400 mm, and the width dimension is preferably 50 mm to 150 mm. By adjusting the dimensions of the absorbent article 10 to fall within the above ranges, an absorbent article 10 suitable for use as a sanitary napkin, incontinence pad, etc. can be obtained.

[0020] (Top sheet) The top sheet 11 may be formed from a liquid-permeable substrate that allows bodily fluids to move into the absorbent body 13, and may be, for example, a known hydrophilic nonwoven fabric such as a thermal-bonded nonwoven fabric or a spun-bonded nonwoven fabric. Furthermore, the surface of the top sheet 11 may be embossed or perforated to improve liquid permeability. Any known method can be used for embossing or perforating the top sheet 11 without any restrictions. Furthermore, to reduce irritation to the skin, the top sheet 11 may contain lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory ingredients, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, moisturizers, and the like. From the viewpoints of strength, processability, and liquid return, the basis weight of the top sheet 11 is 10 g / m 2 More than 40g / m 2Preferably, it is 20 g / m or less. 2 More than 30g / m 2 The following is more preferable: The shape of the top sheet 11 is not particularly limited, but it may have a shape that covers the absorbent body 13 and is necessary to guide bodily fluids to the absorbent body 13 without leakage.

[0021] (back seat) The backsheet 12 may be formed using a liquid-impermeable substrate that prevents the body fluids held by the absorbent body 13 from wetting clothing, and a breathable or non-breathable, liquid-impermeable plastic film may be used.

[0022] From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the back sheet 12 is 20 g / m 2 More than 40g / m 2 Preferably, it is 25 g / m or less. 2 More than 35g / m 2 It is more preferable that the back sheet 12 is breathable. For example, a filler may be blended into the resin film substrate or the back sheet 12 may be embossed. An example of the filler is calcium carbonate, and the blending method may be any known method without limitation.

[0023] (absorbent) In the absorbent article 10 provided in the individual packaging body 1 of the present invention, the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent body 13 is preferably 100 mm to 400 mm, more preferably 110 mm to 380 mm. The width dimension of the absorbent body 13 is preferably 30 mm to 150 mm, more preferably 40 mm to 140 mm. The absorbent body 13 preferably contains absorbent fibers and superabsorbent polymer (hereinafter also referred to as SAP) as a base material.

[0024] The absorbent fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is one that is generally used in absorbent articles, and examples thereof include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, etc. Among these, fluff pulp is preferably used from the viewpoint of absorbency. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (for example, bleached coniferous kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine or Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, resin fiber, non-wood pulp, etc. that has been defibrated into a cotton-like state. When fluff pulp is used as the absorbent fiber base material in the absorber 13, the basis weight of the absorbent fiber is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 g / m 2 More than 500g / m 2 It is preferable that the density is 100 g / m or less. 2 More than 300g / m 2 It is more preferable that the absorbent body 13 is equal to or less than 10 ...

[0025] The SAP contained in the absorbent body 13 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and can be made from materials such as sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymer, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymer, and saponified products thereof. Among these, sodium polyacrylate is preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight. The basis weight of the SAP is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 g / m 2 More than 500g / m 2 It is preferable that the density is 100 g / m or less. 2 More than 300g / m 2 More preferably, it is:

[0026] In the absorbent body 13, the absorbent fibers and SAP may be in the form of a mixture of absorbent fibers and SAP particles, or a sheet with SAP particles fixed between absorbent fibers. A carrier sheet (not shown) may be provided to encase the absorbent body 13 in order to prevent leakage of the SAP particles and stabilize the shape of the absorbent body 13. The substrate of the carrier sheet may be any hydrophilic material, such as tissue, absorbent paper, airlaid nonwoven fabric, or spunbond nonwoven fabric, with spunbond nonwoven fabric being preferred. When multiple carrier sheets are provided, the substrates of the multiple carrier sheets may be the same or different.

[0027] <Individually wrapped sheets> 2 and 3, in the individual package 1 of the present invention, the individual package sheet 20 arranged on the non-skin contact side of the absorbent article 10 has a first slit 31 extending in the width direction in the region between the first fold line 21 and the second fold line 22 in the longitudinal direction. In addition, an adhesive that will ultimately be used to fasten the absorbent article to underwear is applied to a portion that overlaps with the first slit 31 in the thickness direction (the adhesive portion formed by the applied portion becomes the second adhesive portion 42 when the release paper 30 described below is present, but becomes the first adhesive portion 41 when the release paper 30 is not present). By providing the individual packaging sheet 20 with such a first slit 31, when using the individual packaging body 1 (when putting on the absorbent article 10), by folding the individual packaging body 1 in the longitudinal direction with one hand, a force is applied to the first slit 31 on both sides in the X-axis direction shown in Fig. 1. This cuts the first slit 31, exposing the back sheet 12 and the second adhesive portion 42 (or the first adhesive portion 41), so that the absorbent article 10 can be put on underwear with the individual packaging body 1 held in one hand via the second adhesive portion 42 (or the first adhesive portion 41).

[0028] By providing the individual packaging sheet 20 having such a first slit 31, unlike conventional individual absorbent article packages, the task of pinching and peeling off the tab tape is no longer necessary, making it easy to remove the absorbent article 10 even for people with limited finger mobility. Furthermore, the task of folding the entire individually packaged article can be completed with one hand, so even people who have difficulty using both hands or who have limited hands can remove the absorbent article 10. Furthermore, since there is no need to touch the absorbent article 10 with one's hands when removing it from the individual packaging 1, it can be used hygienically.

[0029] The first cut 31 is preferably either a slit or a perforation, and more preferably a slit. The material of the individual wrapping sheet 20 is not particularly limited, but for example, nonwoven fabric, paper, silicone-coated film, etc. can be used, and among these, it is preferable to use nonwoven fabric having a meltblown layer in order to provide rigidity to the entire individual wrapping body 1. Furthermore, it is preferable that the longitudinal dimension of the individual wrapping sheet 20 is 130 mm or more and 450 mm or less, and the width dimension is 60 mm or more and 190 mm or less. Furthermore, the individual packaging sheet 20 and the release paper 30 (or the back sheet 12 if the release paper 30 is not provided) described below are preferably bonded via a first adhesive portion 41 formed by applying an adhesive. The adhesive used is not particularly limited as long as it is an adhesive that can be normally used for absorbent articles, such as a hot melt adhesive. In this case, if the release paper 30 described below is not provided, the first adhesive portion 41 is used to finally secure the absorbent article 10 to the underwear, as described above. Specifically, after the individual packaging sheet 20 is cut along the first slit 31, the first adhesive portion 41 around the first slit 31 is exposed, and the exposed portion of the first adhesive portion 41 can be attached to the underwear to secure the absorbent article 10 to the underwear.

[0030] <Release paper> As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the individual package 1 of the present invention preferably further has a release paper 30 between the absorbent article 10 and the individual package sheet 20. If the entire individual package 1 is made of paper, it will be too stiff, making it difficult to remove the absorbent article 10 from the individual package sheet 20 after securing the absorbent article 10 to underwear. If the entire individual package 1 is made of film or nonwoven fabric only, it will not be stiff enough, making it difficult to expose the second adhesive portion 42 from the first slit, and as a result, it will be difficult to remove the absorbent article 10. By including the release paper 30, the entire individual package 1 will be appropriately stiff, making it even easier to remove the absorbent article 10 from the individual package 1.

[0031] Furthermore, the release paper 30 preferably has a second slit 32 extending in the width direction at a position that overlaps in the thickness direction with the first slit 31 in the individual packaging sheet 20. By having the second slit 32 in the release paper 30, when removing the absorbent article 10 from the above-mentioned individual packaging body 1 with one hand, the second slit 32 is cut at the same time as the first slit 31, eliminating the need to pinch and peel off the end of the release paper 30 with the fingers.

[0032] The second cut 32 is preferably either a slit or a perforation, but is more preferably the same as the first cut 31 . The material of the release paper 30 is not particularly limited, but for example, silicon-coated paper or the like can be used to keep the absorbent article 10 hygienic. Furthermore, the longitudinal and width dimensions of the release paper 30 are not particularly limited as long as they are large enough to completely cover the second adhesive portion 42, which will be described later. Furthermore, the release paper 30 and the back sheet 12 are preferably bonded via a second adhesive region 42 formed by applying an adhesive. The adhesive used is not particularly limited, but examples include hot melt adhesives. The second adhesive region 42 after the release paper 30 is peeled off is ultimately used to secure the absorbent article 10 to underwear. Specifically, similar to the first adhesive region 41 described above, after the individual packaging sheet 20 is simultaneously cut along the first cut 31 and the release paper 30 along the second cut 32, the second adhesive region 42 around the second cut 31 is exposed, and the exposed portion of the second adhesive region 42 can be attached to the underwear to secure the absorbent article 10 to the underwear.

[0033] <Manufacturing process for individual packages> Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the individual package 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing process of the individual package 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Note that the MD direction in the figure is the machine direction in which the individual package 1 flows in the manufacturing process, and the CD direction is the cross direction perpendicular to the MD direction.

[0034] First, as shown in Fig. 4(a), an absorbent article 10 is prepared in advance with a release paper 30 adhered to the non-skin contact side using an adhesive. At this time, it is preferable that a second cut 32 has already been formed in the center of the release paper 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the absorbent article 10 is rotated by 90 degrees so that the MD direction in the process and the direction in which the second cut line 32 extends are parallel to each other.

[0035] Next, as shown in Fig. 4(c), with a plurality of absorbent articles 10 lined up, an individual packaging sheet 20 is adhered to each of them from the non-skin contact side using an adhesive. At this time, the individual packaging sheets 20 are adhered so that the first cut 31 of the individual packaging sheet 20 and the second cut 32 of the release paper 30 overlap in the thickness direction and are parallel to each other. By adhering the individual packaging sheet 20 in this manner, when using the above-mentioned individual packaging body 1 (when putting on the absorbent article 10), the individual packaging body 1 can be opened with one hand and the absorbent article 10 can be put on as is in underwear.

[0036] Finally, as shown in FIG. 4(d), a plurality of absorbent articles 10 are folded in thirds together, and then the individual wrapping sheet 20 is cut in the CD direction to form individual wrapping bodies 1 for each absorbent article.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 piece package 10 Absorbent articles 11 Topsheet 12 Back Seat 13 Absorbent 20-pack sheet 21, 22 fold lines 30 Release paper 31, 32 cuts 41, 42 Adhesive part

Claims

[Claim 1] An absorbent article individual package comprising: an absorbent article including a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body positioned therebetween; and an individual package sheet disposed on a non-skin contact side of the absorbent article, the individual absorbent article package is folded in three along a first fold line and a second fold line that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and extend in the width direction, The individual packaging sheet has a first cut line extending in the width direction in a region between the first fold line and the second fold line in the longitudinal direction, An adhesive is applied to a portion that overlaps the first cut in the thickness direction and is ultimately used to fix the garment to the underwear, In the folded-in-three state, one end portion of the absorbent article from one end in the longitudinal direction to the first fold line and the other end portion of the absorbent article from the other end in the longitudinal direction to the second fold line do not overlap in the thickness direction, A release paper is further provided between the absorbent article and the individual wrapping sheet, the release paper has a second cut extending in the width direction at a position overlapping the first cut in the thickness direction, The individual absorbent article package, wherein the first cut and the second cut are slits.

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