ABSORBENT ARTICLE WITH EMBOSSED SURFACE LAYER

Abstract

The absorbent article (1), as disclosed herein, has longitudinal side edges (2, 3) extending in a longitudinal direction (L) and front and rear transverse end edges (4, 5) extending in a transverse direction (T). The absorbent article (1) comprises a fluid-permeable surface layer (8) and a backing sheet (9). The fluid-permeable surface layer (8) is an embossed surface layer (8) comprising an embossed pattern (11) covering from 3% to 20% of the total surface area of ​​the surface layer (8). The surface layer (8) is a fibrous, non-woven, air-bound surface layer comprising synthetic fibers and having a basis weight of 14 to 30 g / m².

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLE WITH EMBOSSED SURFACE LAYER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an absorbent article. The present invention relates in particular to an absorbent article having a soft surface layer with an improved embossed pattern. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Disposable absorbent articles, such as panty liners, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence devices, and diapers, of the class covered by this disclosure, are used in contact with the skin to absorb bodily fluids. Absorbent articles include a top sheet and a back sheet layer, and may also conventionally include an absorbent core between these sheets. Skin problems can occur with any product applied in direct contact with the skin. These problems can be caused by forces arising from the physical / mechanical interaction between the absorbent product and the user's skin. For example, chafing results from increased friction between the absorbent product and the user's skin. The mechanical friction between the material and the user's skin differs in the presence of liquid / moisture compared to when no liquid / moisture is present. Absorbent products may have printed or embossed patterns on their surfaces. For example, sanitary protection products such as wipes, panty liners, and incontinence devices generally have a liquid-permeable surface layer with a pattern of embossed depressions in configurations such as flowers or other feminine designs. Other patterns may take the form of various geometric shapes such as circles, diamonds, squares, curves, or other stylized figures such as stars, dots, or similar shapes. While embossed items are primarily used for decorative purposes, embossing can also communicate or provide a function to the user. For example, embossing is known to impede or direct the flow of fluids. Embossing is also used to provide a visual cue to indicate surface variations. To achieve the desired aesthetic effect, embossed patterns are often printed relatively deeply; for instance, recessed areas can be permanently depressed to a certain degree, representing a significant portion of the product's thickness. It is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article having a different embossed pattern, as well as providing enhanced benefits for the skin. / UUMOU1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION One or more of the aforementioned objects can be achieved with an absorbent article according to claim 1. Other embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the figures. The absorbent article, as disclosed herein, has longitudinal side edges extending in the longitudinal direction and front and rear transverse end edges extending in the transverse direction. The absorbent article comprises a fluid-permeable surface layer and a backing sheet. The fluid-permeable surface layer is an embossed surface layer comprising an embossed pattern covering 3 to 20% of the total surface area of ​​the user-facing portion of the surface layer. The surface layer consists of a fibrous, non-woven, air-bonded surface layer comprising synthetic fibers and having a basis weight of 14 to 30 g / m². The term absorbent articles refers to products placed against the user's skin to absorb and contain bodily exudates, such as urine, feces, and menstrual fluid. This disclosure primarily refers to disposable absorbent articles, meaning items that will not be washed, restored, or reused as an absorbent article. Examples of disposable absorbent articles include feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and panty liners, incontinence pads and diapers, and similar items. It was found that a fibrous, non-woven, air-bonded surface layer with a basis weight of 14 to 30 g / m² enhances the visual appearance of an embossed pattern by increasing the pattern's clarity. One reason for this may be that the non-woven, fibrous, air-bonded material has a relatively low number of bonding points between the fibers within the material, which improves the visibility of the embossed pattern when applied to the surface. Synthetic fibers can be bicomponent fibers. Bicomponent fibers can have a polyethylene or polypropylene sheath. The core can be polyester. It has also been observed that the use of synthetic fibers in air-bonded, fibrous, nonwoven materials, where at least the fiber sheath is polyethylene, makes the embossed pattern more distinct, which results from the disruption of the fiber structure during embossing. It was also observed that the use of synthetic fibers in the non-woven material, bonded by air circulation, where the fiber wrap is made of polyester (PET), makes the surface material more resilient. It was observed that the air-circulated, fibrous, nonwoven material comprising bicomponent wrap-core fibers, and particularly in which the core is a polyester core and the wrap is a polyethylene wrap, provides improved and different embossed patterns, which may result from the breaking of the bicomponent fiber structure during embossing, and the polyester core is beneficial in improving the resilience of the nonwoven structure. The fluid-permeable surface layer is an embossed surface layer comprising an embossed pattern that covers 3 to 20%, or 5% to 16%, of the total surface area of ​​the user-facing portion of the surface layer. This was found to provide a surface sheet MA / a / zuzi / uuaou i soft and suitable with good visibility of the engraved elements. If an engraving pattern is provided over too large a portion of the surface area of ​​the surface layer, the surface layer becomes too rigid. The fluid-permeable surface layer may have an unengraved area in the crotch portion of the article corresponding to the liquid inlet zone in order to maintain a relatively low density (= high volume) in the liquid inlet zone, which is beneficial for the liquid inlet velocity. The user-facing portion of the surface layer means the part of the surface layer that faces the user during use of the absorbent article. The absorbent article may comprise, for example, wings or flaps provided with fastening means, such as an adhesive. The surface layer may extend over the wings of the absorbent article. However, the user-facing portion does not include wings or flaps, as the wings or flaps are not intended to face the user during use. For the purpose of determining the user-facing portion of the surface layer for an absorbent article comprising wings or flaps, a straight line is drawn between a starting point and an ending point of the respective wing along the respective longitudinal side of the absorbent article; that is, the starting and ending points are located where the outline of the absorbent article curves outwards to form the respective wings. The embossed pattern may comprise continuous and / or broken embossed lines with a minimum width of 0.3 mm, 0.6 mm, or 0.9 mm. The maximum width may be 5.0 mm or 3.0 mm. The broken lines may comprise or consist of embossed dots arranged along a broken line, such as a straight or curved line, and / or an embossed pattern of a different type. The embossed dots may have a minimum diameter of 0.3 mm, 0.6 mm, or 0.9 mm. The maximum diameter may be 5.0 mm or 3.0 mm. The embossed pattern can have a minimum depth of 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5 mm. The maximum depth can be 3 mm. The two-component fibers in the embossed pattern may be permanently deformed but not consolidated. The surface layer can have a density of 20 to 90 kg / m³, 20 to 60 kg / m³, 20 to 40 kg / m³, 15 to 40 kg / m³, or 20 to 30 kg / m³. A surface layer bonded by air circulation has a relatively low density, meaning there is a relatively large amount of void space between the fibers. The density can be calculated by dividing the basis weight of the surface layer by its thickness measured at a pressure of 0.5 kPa. The fibers of the non-woven surface layer, bonded by air circulation, can have a thickness of 1.8 to 10 dtex, 2 to 7 dtex, or 3.5 to 7 dtex. The surface layer may be free of lotions and / or lubricating agents. Since the surface layer alone has been found to provide surprisingly low friction values ​​under both dry and wet conditions, lotions and lubricating agents may not be necessary to reduce friction between the nonwoven material and the wearer's skin. / UU30U1 The surface material can be hydrophilic. A hydrophilic material can be obtained by adding a surfactant. The absorbent article may comprise an intermediate layer, such as a fibrous intermediate layer, located between the surface layer and the backsheet and in direct contact with the surface layer. The intermediate layer may be a nonwoven layer, such as air-laid or expanded nonwoven materials, including air-bonded or hydro-tangled nonwovens. The intermediate layer can extend from 70% to 100% of the user-facing part of the surface layer. The surface layer and the intermediate layer can be bonded to each other. This can increase the integrity of the surface layer. Because the surface layer has a relatively low density with a relatively low number of bonding points between the fibers, the resulting structure has less integrity. However, when the air-bonded, fibrous, nonwoven surface layer is combined with an intermediate layer that has less elongation than the air-bonded, fibrous nonwoven, the integrity of the air-bonded, fibrous surface layer is increased. Sufficient structural integrity is advantageous both during the use of the absorbent product and during its manufacture. It is even possible to join the liquid-resistant surface material to the intermediate layer using thermal and / or mechanical welding, such as ultrasonic welding. This allows lamination and embossing to be performed in a single step. According to one embodiment, only the fluid-permeable surface layer of the hygienic article is embossed, while the intermediate layer remains unembossed. However, according to another embodiment, the embossing is also performed through the intermediate layer, so that the intermediate layer is also embossed. Furthermore, it is even possible to emboss through the surface layer, the intermediate layer, and also through an additional layer, such as an absorbent core that may be positioned between the intermediate layer and a backsheet. If the liquid surface material is laminated together with the intermediate layer by thermal and / or mechanical welding, the lamination and embossing can be performed in the same step. An embossed pattern can penetrate both the fluid-permeable surface layer and the intermediate layer, for example, by ultrasonic welding. The back sheet has one side that faces the undergarment and an adhesive can be placed on the side facing the undergarment. The absorbent article may include an absorbent core disposed between the surface layer and the backsheet, and between the intermediate layer and the backsheet if the absorbent article comprises an intermediate layer. The absorbent core may include, for example, pulp fibers, or may comprise a mixture of superabsorbent particles and pulp fibers. The backsheet can be a breathable or non-breathable plastic film. It can also be a polyolefin plastic film or a laminate of a plastic film and a non-woven material. The absorbent item can be a sanitary napkin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The present invention will be further explained below by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 shows a top plan view of a sanitary wipe as disclosed herein and, as can be seen, from a side of the top sheet; Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the sanitary wipe from Figure 1; Figure 3a shows enlarged photographs of surface materials comprising discontinuous embossed dots; Figure 3b shows enlarged photographs of surface materials comprising continuous lines engraved in relief; and Figure 4 shows the result of the friction measurement on surface materials. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not to be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments shown in the figures and in the description set forth herein. Figure 1 is a top plan view of a hygienic article 1 having longitudinal side edges 2,3 extending in a longitudinal direction L and front and rear transverse end edges 4,5 extending in a transverse direction T. The hygienic article 1 comprises a fluid-permeable surface layer 8 and a backing sheet 9. The surface layer 8 is a nonwoven, fibrous, air-bound surface layer having a basis weight of 14 to 30 g / m². The nonwoven layer comprises bicomponent fibers and may consist of 50% or more, such as, for example, 80% to 100% or 95% or more, of bicomponent fibers. The bicomponent fibers may be sheath-core bicomponent fibers, for example, the core is a polyester core and the sheath is a polyethylene sheath. The fluid-permeable surface layer 8 comprises an embossed pattern 11. The embossed pattern 11 comprises individual embossed dot elements 11a forming a pattern that covers from 3% to 20% of the user-facing portion of the surface layer 8. At the rear end 12 of the absorbent article 1, the surface layer 8 is provided with a continuous wing-shaped embossed line 11b and a continuous embossed line extending along a contour of the absorbent article 1 so as to frame the embossed pattern 11. The absorbent article 1 in Figure 1 is a sanitary napkin provided with a pair of lateral wings 13 extending outwards from the transversely opposite lateral edges 2,3 of the napkin. The wings 13 are provided with fastening means, such as an adhesive, on the surface facing the undergarment so that they can be folded under the undergarment and secured to it. In this way, the wings 13 serve to keep the napkin 1 properly positioned within the undergarment. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the sanitary napkin 1 shown in Figure 2 and illustrates the sanitary napkin with the detached layer. The sanitary napkin 1 comprises a fluid-permeable surface layer 8 and a backsheet 9. An intermediate fibrous layer 10 is located between the surface layer 8 and the backsheet 9 and is in direct contact with the surface layer 8. In this figure, the intermediate layer is provided beneath approximately 100% of the total surface area of ​​the user-facing portion of the surface layer 8 and is adhesively attached to the surface layer 8. An absorbent core 14 is disposed between the intermediate layer 10 and the backsheet 9. Only the fluid-permeable surface layer 8 of the sanitary napkin 1 in Figure 2 is embossed, while the intermediate layer 10 is not embossed.However, it is also possible to emboss the intermediate layer, and the embossing can be performed in a single step, such that the embossed designs penetrate both the fluid-permeable surface layer 8 and the intermediate layer 10 in the same embossing step. Alternatively, the liquid-permeable surface material 8 can be laminated together with the intermediate layer 10 by thermal and / or mechanical welding, for example, by ultrasonic welding. In this way, the lamination and embossing are performed in the same step. The backsheet can be a breathable or non-breathable plastic film. Alternatively, it can be a laminate of a breathable or non-breathable plastic film and a non-woven material. The absorbent core can be of any conventional type. Examples of commonly used absorbent materials include cellulose fiber pulp, tissue layers, highly absorbent polymers (also called superabsorbents), absorbent foam materials, absorbent nonwoven materials, and similar materials. It is common to combine cellulose fiber pulp with superabsorbents in an absorbent structure. Absorbent structures comprising layers of different materials with varying properties regarding liquid absorption, distribution, and storage capacity are also common. This is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and therefore a detailed description is not necessary.The thin absorbent bodies, common in modern hygiene products, often comprise a mixed or compressed layered structure of cellulose fiber pulp and superabsorbent material. The size and absorbency of the absorbent structure can be varied to suit different uses, such as hygiene products, daily protective wipes, adult incontinence pads and diapers, baby diapers, pull-up diapers, etc. The intermediate layer can be composed, for example, of air-laid nonwovens, expanded nonwovens such as air-bonded or hydro-entangled nonwovens. An air-laid nonwoven can be produced from cellulosic fibers, wood pulp, and, in the present case, the cellulosic fibers are dispersed into a fast-moving air stream and condensed on a moving screen by means of pressure and vacuum. The network can be bonded with resin and / or thermoplastic resin dispersed within the pulp. The network can be thermally bonded (by heat), latex-bonded (with adhesive), multi-bonded (a combination of thermal and latex bonding), or mechanically bonded (high compression and temperature, hydrogen bonding). The basis weight of the air-laid nonwoven can be suitablely 50 to 100 gsm. Expanded material is a nonwoven material and may be substantially free of absorbent fibers and superabsorbent material. Expanded nonwoven material may comprise thermoplastic polymer fibers and may be selected, but not limited to, polyesters, polyamides, and polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and may be a mixture of any of these. "Expanded" (or "high loft") refers to low-density, bulky fabrics, compared to flat, paper-like fabrics. Expanded webs are characterized by a relatively low density. This means there is a relatively high amount of void space between the fibers. The expanded, nonwoven middle layer typically has a density of less than 200 kg / m³, specifically ranging from 15 kg / m³ to 150 kg / m³, and more specifically from 30 to 100 kg / m³.The average density can be calculated by dividing the basis weight of the expanded layer by its thickness measured at a pressure of 0.5 kPa. Typically, the thickness of the intermediate layer of expanded material is greater than approximately 0.5 mm, for example, greater than 1 mm or, appropriately, 1.5–2.0 mm, and the solids content is low, generally less than 15% by volume. The raw material for the intermediate layer can be polyolefins, for example, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester (PET), polyamide (PA), cellulosic fibers, or a combination thereof. Thus, if a combination of different fibers is used, this combination can be a mixture of fibers from different polymers, although each fiber can also include different polymers (for example, bicomponent PP / PE fibers or PP / PE copolymers). Where applicable, the plastic backsheet film may comprise PE or PP, PET, PLA or amyl (or, for that matter, any other thermoplastic polymer), or a mixture of copolymers of the above-mentioned polymers. Figure 4 shows the friction curves for the test samples, CEx 1 and CEx 2. Figure 4 displays the number of runs on the x-axis and the friction force in gmf on the y-axis. A friction curve comprises a first slope with a positive coefficient, illustrating an increase in friction values; a plateau; and a second slope with a negative coefficient, illustrating a decrease in friction values. On the plateau, the friction values ​​are substantially constant over the plateau's extent.Small variations on the plateau, as well as along the slopes, are possible between individual values, but a positive coefficient means that all the individual values ​​on the first slope together create a positive coefficient, all the individual values ​​on the second slope together create a negative coefficient, and all the individual values ​​on the plateau together create a plateau. Lower friction values ​​make the absorbent item more skin-friendly / UUMOU1 and can reduce skin problems arising from its use. For some materials, a clear peak may be observed in a friction value curve before the second slope, creating a negative coefficient. This peak is caused by stickiness, which can occur even with a small amount of moisture present.The result in Figure 4 shows that the test sample, the non-woven surface material, bonded by air circulation, has a lower mean friction plateau value (gmf). Measurement of the relief engraving The depth of the individual embossed dot elements was measured using the ISO25178 method, and the depth of a continuous embossed line, which extends along a contour of the absorbent sanitary napkin framing the embossed pattern comprising the individual embossed elements, was also measured using the ISO25178 method. Three different sanitary napkins with varying surface layers, but constructed from the same underlying materials, were tested and compared for embossing depth. The test material is an air-bonded nonwoven material, as described herein, comprising two-component core-wrap fibers with a polyester core and a polyethylene wrap. The first Comparative Example is a spunbonded nonwoven material with polypropylene fibers, and the second Comparative Example is a spunbonded nonwoven material with polypropylene fibers. Table 1 below provides the specifications for the materials tested. Table 1 Material Type Supplier Material No. Basis Weight (gsm) Test Sample Air-bonded nonwoven TWE 255272 20 CEx 1 Yarn-bonded nonwoven Texbond 2436701 18 CEx 2 Yarn-bonded nonwoven Union 272119 18 Table 2 shows the result of the average individual depth of the embossed individual elements (pm) and the standard deviation of the depth (pm). Table 2 Mean individual depth (pm) Standard deviation (pm) Test sample 388 5.9 CEx 1 446 26.0 Cex 2 368 22.3 The result shows the standard deviation of the depth value of the embossed element for the air-bonded nonwoven material. The standard deviation of depth for the test sample was lower than the standard deviation of depth for comparative example 1 (Cex 1) and comparative example 2 (Cex 2). Table 3 - The depth of a continuous engraved line, a “valley”. / UUMOU1 Mean individual depth (pm) Standard deviation (pm) Ratio between standard deviation and mean individual depth Test sample 971 148 0.15 CEx 1 597 204 0.34 Cex 2 442 91 0.21 The average individual depth of a continuous engraved line, a “valley”, for the non-woven material, bonded by air circulation according to the test sample, as shown in the Table, has a lower relationship between the standard deviation and the average individual depth than comparative example 1 (Cex 1) and comparative example 2 (Cex 2). Therefore, both the standard deviation of the mean depth of the individual embossed elements in the form of dots, and the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean depth of a continuous embossed line extending along a contour of the absorbent sanitary napkin framing the embossed pattern comprising the individual embossed elements, shows that the air-bound non-woven surface material has more distinguishable embossed elements, which increases the visibility of the embossed pattern when provided on the material. Furthermore, the enlarged photos in Figures 3a and 3b show that the sanitary napkin with the test sample (non-woven, bonded by air circulation) as the surface material has more distinguishable engraved elements, which improves the visibility of the engraving pattern compared to the comparative example 1 (Cex 1) and the comparative example (Cex 2). Friction Measurement The friction between a nonwoven material and the user's skin differs in the presence of liquid / moisture compared to when no liquid / moisture is present. Even a very small amount of moisture from perspiration, sweat, or other bodily fluids impacts the frictional forces between the nonwoven material and the user's skin. Therefore, it has been found that carefully selecting the characteristics of the nonwoven material is important so that it minimizes mechanical discomfort during general use of the product. The method used for the measurement of friction was the Adhesion and Slip measurement method which is described in detail in WO 2016 / 114693. The friction measurement was carried out in accordance with the description provided in WO 2016 / 114693. The method measures static friction, the stickiness and slippage (SNS) value in grams of force (gmf), between a material and human skin. The method involves repeatedly running the same strip of material. First, the SNS value is measured in the dry state (dry material and skin), followed by the wet state at varying levels of liquid (from fully wet to damp and almost dry) until the SNS value returns to the skin-material interaction level measured in the first run under dry conditions, indicating that the material is dry again. This method is then called the repeated stickiness and slippage method or dry-wet-dry SNS method. The stickiness and slippage value is defined as the point on the force (gmf) curve at which the material begins to slide on the arm.The sns values ​​of all individual strength curves are combined into a new graph, where the sns values ​​are a function of the number of runs. Three different nonwoven materials were tested and compared in terms of dry and wet friction. The test material is an air-bonded nonwoven, as described herein, comprising two-component core-wrap fibers with a polyester core and a polyethylene wrap. The first Comparative Example is a spunbonded nonwoven with polypropylene fibers, and the second Comparative Example is also a spunbonded nonwoven with polypropylene fibers. Table 1 above provides specifications for the materials tested. Table 4 below shows the average friction plateau values ​​measured in gmf. gmf stands for gram-force, and one gram-force is 9.80665 mN. The results show that the test sample, the non-woven surface material bonded by air circulation, has a lower average friction plateau value (gmf). Table 4 Material Average friction plateau value, (gmf) Test sample 300 CEx 1 480 CEx 2 420 Also, in Figure 4, the friction curves for the test sample, CEx 1 and CEx2, are shown, and the result shows that the test sample, the non-woven surface material, bonded by air circulation, has a lower mean friction plateau value (gmf). Density measurement Density is calculated by dividing the basis weight of the surface layer by its thickness. Thickness is determined using a measuring foot with a fixed load of 0.5 kPa. The measuring foot has a surface area of ​​50 x 50 mm². The thickness is read on a digital thickness gauge / tester after 10 seconds of the measuring foot being in contact with the sample surface.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having longitudinal side edges extending in a longitudinal direction and front and rear transverse end edges, said absorbent article comprising a fluid-permeable surface layer and a backsheet, the fluid-permeable surface layer being an embossed fluid-permeable surface layer comprising an embossed pattern covering from 3% to 20% of the total surface area of ​​a portion of the surface layer that is to face the user, characterized in that the surface layer is a fibrous, non-woven, air-bound surface layer comprising synthetic fibers and having a basis weight of 14 to 30 g / m2.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, further characterized in that the embossed pattern comprises embossed discontinuous dots having a minimum diameter of 0.3 mm, 0.6 mm or 0.9 mm and / or embossed continuous lines having a minimum width of 0.3 mm, 0.6 mm or 0.9 mm.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the embossed pattern has a minimum depth of 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm.

4. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the synthetic fibers in the embossed pattern are permanently deformed but not consolidated.

5. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the non-woven surface layer comprises bicomponent fibers.

6. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the bicomponent fibers are bicomponent sheath-core fibers, wherein the sheath is a polyethylene sheath.

7. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the bicomponent fibers are bicomponent core-sheath fibers, wherein the core is a polyester core and the sheath is a polyethylene sheath.

8. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the engraving pattern covers from 5% to 16% of the total surface area of ​​the user-facing part of the surface layer.

9. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the surface layer has a density of 20 to 90 kg / m3, 20 to 60 kg / m3, or 20 to 40 kg / m3.

10. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the fibers of the non-woven material, bonded by air circulation, have a thickness of 1.8 to 10 dTex, or 2 to 7 dTex.

11. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the surface layer is free of lotions and / or lubricating agents. 1 / UUMOU1 12. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the absorbent article comprises an intermediate layer located between the surface layer and the back sheet (9).

13. The absorbent article according to claim 11, further characterized in that the intermediate layer covers from 70% to 100% of the surface layer.

14. The absorbent article according to claim 11 or 12, further characterized in that the surface layer and the intermediate layer are bonded together in an adhesive manner.

15. The absorbent article in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the absorbent article is a sanitary napkin.

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