Absorbent article

Abstract

In this absorbent article, in order to enable a wearer or the like to easily dispose an auxiliary absorbent article at an appropriate position, a tape-type disposable diaper (100) is formed by connecting a back region (110), a crotch region (120), and a front region (130). A top sheet (10), an absorbent body (30), a polyethylene sheet (40), and a back sheet (20) are disposed therein. The polyethylene sheet (40) is formed with lines (S1, S2) that are linear marks extending continuously from the back region (110) to the front region (130) along a longitudinal direction (L), so that both side edges (201, 301, 401) of inner pads (200, 300, 400) are respectively aligned therewith in a state in which the inner pads (200, 300, 400) are disposed at appropriate positions in a width direction (W). The absorbent body (30) is formed with a width that does not cover the lines (S1, S2). The top sheet (10) allows optical transmission of the lines (S1, S2).

Description

absorbent articles

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

[0002] Auxiliary absorbent articles (inner pads) are known that are placed on the inner surface (the surface facing the wearer's skin) of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers (hereinafter referred to as diapers, etc.). Some inner pads are provided with fastening means on their outer surface that hold the inner pad in a predetermined position on the inner surface of the diaper, etc. The fastening means is formed, for example, from the male component of a hook-and-loop fastener, and is held in place by engaging with the nonwoven fabric sheet on the inner surface of the diaper, etc. Inner pads that do not have fastening means are held on the inner surface of the diaper, etc. by the frictional force between the contacting surfaces.

[0003] Diapers and the like are formed by connecting a dorsal portion, a crotch portion, and a ventral portion along the longitudinal direction. There are two types of diapers: the so-called pants type, in which the dorsal portion and the ventral portion are connected in advance to form a covering portion around the wearer's waist; and the so-called tape type, in which the dorsal portion, the crotch portion, and the ventral portion are spread out in the longitudinal direction, covering the wearer's buttocks with the dorsal portion, the crotch portion with the crotch portion, and the lower abdomen with the ventral portion, and the both sides of the dorsal portion and both sides of the ventral portion are connected with tape.

[0004] When a wearer or an assistant (hereinafter referred to as the "wearer") places an inner pad in a tape-type diaper, it is necessary to position the inner pad evenly on both sides of the width of the diaper, so that the inner pad is not biased to one side in the width direction. If the inner pad is positioned biased to one side in the width direction, excrement is more likely to leak from the inner pad into the diaper.

[0005] In view of this, a technique has been proposed in which a pair of visible colored markings corresponding to two corners at one end of an absorbent pad (auxiliary absorbent article) are arranged at positions symmetrical about the center line in the width direction on the inner surface of the back side of a diaper or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this technique, by aligning the two corners at one end of the absorbent pad in the longitudinal direction with the corresponding pair of colored markings, the absorbent pad can be aligned in a predetermined position on the diaper or the like, and the absorbent pad can be positioned without any deviation in the width direction or length direction.

[0006] Patent No. 4796867

[0007] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses colored markings corresponding to the four corners of the diaper, which requires adjusting the posture and position of the absorbent pad so that each of the four corners of the absorbent pad aligns with the colored markings. In other words, this technology aligns the diaper and absorbent pad at multiple points that are spaced apart from each other, and requires checking multiple points simultaneously. Therefore, this technology has the problem of difficulty in aligning the absorbent pad, as it is prone to tilting the absorbent pad relative to the diaper.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an absorbent article that allows a wearer or the like to easily place an auxiliary absorbent article in an appropriate position.

[0009] The present invention provides an absorbent article in which a dorsal portion, a crotch portion, and a ventral portion are formed in a continuous manner along the longitudinal direction, and in which a liquid-permeable top sheet, an absorbent body, an intermediate sheet, and a liquid-impermeable back sheet are arranged in that order in the thickness direction, starting from the skin side facing the wearer's skin, and at least one of the intermediate sheet and the outer sheet is liquid-impermeable, and the intermediate sheet has linear marks formed on it that extend continuously from the dorsal portion to the ventral portion along the longitudinal direction, and that align both side edges of the auxiliary absorbent article in the width direction when the auxiliary absorbent article is placed at an appropriate position in the width direction of the absorbent article, and the absorbent body is formed with a width that does not cover the marks, and the top sheet is optically transparent to the marks.

[0010] The absorbent article according to the present invention allows the wearer or the like to easily place the auxiliary absorbent article in an appropriate position.

[0011] 10 is a plan view of a tape-type disposable diaper as seen from the side that comes into contact with the wearer's skin (the inner surface of the diaper). 11 is a back view of the diaper as seen from the side opposite the wearer's skin (the outer surface of the diaper). 12 is a cross-section taken along line A-A in FIG. 1. 13 is a plan view of a first inner pad. 14 is a plan view of a second inner pad. 15 is a plan view of a third inner pad. 16 is a plan view illustrating a more preferred aspect of the diaper of embodiment 1. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 7. 18 is a diagram showing details of portion E in FIG. 7. 19 is a plan view showing a portion of the diaper on which lines that serve as markers (second markers) for aligning the first inner pad in the longitudinal direction L and lines that serve as markers (second markers) for aligning the second inner pad in the longitudinal direction L are formed. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in FIG. 10. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a diaper in which lines 34 and 35 that serve as second markers are formed by forming part of the contour shape of the absorbent body in a sawtooth shape. This figure shows an example of a diaper in which part of the outline shape of a line formed on a polyethylene sheet is formed into a wavy line, so that the wavy line is recessed inward in the line width direction (the same as the width direction W), and the position of the narrowed part in the width direction W is formed as a second mark.

[0012] Embodiments of the absorbent article according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Tape-type disposable diaper> Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tape-type disposable diaper 100 (hereinafter referred to as the diaper 100) as seen from the side that comes into contact with the wearer's skin (the inner surface of the diaper 100), Fig. 2 is a back view of the diaper 100 as seen from the side opposite the wearer's skin (the outer surface of the diaper 100), and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1, i.e., a cross-sectional view of the crotch region 120 taken along the width direction W perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. The illustrated diaper 100 is one embodiment of an absorbent article according to the present invention.

[0014] 1 and 2, the diaper 100 is formed by connecting a dorsal portion 110, a crotch portion 120, and a ventral portion 130 along the longitudinal direction L. As shown in Fig. 3, the diaper 100 is formed by stacking a gathered sheet 50, a top sheet 10, an absorbent body 30, a polyethylene sheet 40, and a back sheet 20 in the thickness direction D, from the side that contacts the wearer's skin (the inner surface of the diaper 100).

[0015] The top sheet 10 is a sheet that comes into contact with the wearer's skin when the diaper 100 is worn by the wearer. The top sheet 10 is an example of a surface sheet in an absorbent article according to the present invention. In the back-side portion 110 and the ventral-side portion 130, the top sheet 10 does not extend over the entire width direction W, but extends only to the outer regions in the width direction W immediately adjacent to a line S1, which is a mark described below. However, the top sheet 10 may extend over the entire width direction W, in which case the top sheet 10 is formed to have the same shape as the outer shape of the diaper 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] The top sheet 10 is formed of a liquid-permeable, perforated or non-perforated nonwoven fabric or a porous plastic sheet. Due to this liquid permeability, the top sheet 10 allows moisture from the excrement excreted by the wearer to pass through in the thickness direction D and transfer the moisture to the absorbent body 30 located below the top sheet 10 (on the outer surface in the thickness direction D).

[0017] The absorber 30 is provided in the longitudinal direction L over a portion of the back portion 110, the entire length of the crotch portion 120, and a portion of the abdominal portion 130. The absorber 30 is formed of an absorbent member 31 and crepe paper 32. The absorbent member 31 is made of pulp fibers intertwined with and distributed superabsorbent polymers (SAP), and absorbs and retains moisture.

[0018] The crepe paper 32 wraps the absorbent member 31 inside and maintains a fixed shape as the absorbent body 30. The crepe paper 32 is made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric that has liquid permeability, and transfers moisture that has permeated the top sheet 10 to the absorbent member 31.

[0019] The polyethylene sheet 40 is an example of an intermediate sheet in the absorbent article according to the present invention. The polyethylene sheet 40 may be formed in a shape having the same width as the outer shape of the diaper 100, which is the product, or may be formed in a shape having approximately the same width as the top sheet 10. The polyethylene sheet 40 is made of liquid-impermeable polyethylene, and prevents moisture that has permeated the top sheet 10 and moisture held by the absorbent body 30 from permeating in the thickness direction D of the polyethylene sheet 40.

[0020] The intermediate sheet in the absorbent article according to the present invention is not limited to the polyethylene sheet 40, but may be a sheet made of a liquid-impermeable resin material such as polypropylene.

[0021] In addition, the absorbent article of the present invention only requires that at least one of the intermediate sheet and the outer sheet be made of a liquid-impermeable material, and that moisture that has permeated the inner sheet or moisture that cannot be retained by the absorbent body is not allowed to permeate through the intermediate sheet or outer sheet, thereby preventing moisture from permeating to the outside of the outer sheet.

[0022] The backsheet 20 is the outermost sheet of the diaper 100 when the diaper 100 is worn by a wearer. The backsheet 20 is an example of an outer sheet in the absorbent article according to the present invention. The backsheet 20 forms the outer shape of the diaper 100 shown in Fig. 2. The backsheet 20 is made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric.

[0023] 1 and 3, the gathered sheet 50 is disposed closer to the wearer's skin than the top sheet 10. The gathered sheet 50 is provided in both side regions in the width direction W of the diaper 100, excluding the central region where the absorbent body 30 is disposed, overlapping both end portions of the backsheet 20 in the width direction W.

[0024] Therefore, in the diaper 100, the top sheet 10 comes into contact with the wearer's skin in the central region in the width direction W where the absorbent body 30 is arranged, and the gathered sheet 50 comes into contact with the wearer's skin in the region outside the center in the width direction W where the absorbent body 30 is not arranged.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, each of the two gathered sheets 50 is formed such that a region 50b on the central side in the width direction W is not joined to the top sheet 10. Furthermore, each gathered sheet 50 has rubber thread 51 (an example of an elastic member) extending along the longitudinal direction L at an end portion 50a on the central side in the width direction W in the crotch region 120. The rubber thread 51 is joined to the gathered sheet 50 in a state stretched more than its natural state.

[0026] Therefore, when a wearer puts on the diaper 100, the crotch region 120 curves along the wearer's body, and the restoring force (elastic force) of the rubber threads 51 causes the central region 50b of the gathered sheet 50 in the width direction W to rise up from the top sheet 10 toward the wearer's skin. The end portions 50a of the raised gathered sheet 50 come into close contact with the wearer's groin area, preventing leakage from around the legs of the diaper 100.

[0027] On both sides of the back portion 110 of the diaper 100, two fastening tapes 60 are provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction, which join each side of the back portion 110 to the abdominal portion 130 when the diaper 100 is worn by a wearer. The diaper 100 is not limited to having two fastening tapes 60 on each side, but may have one fastening tape 60 on each side. The central portions of these fastening tapes 60 in the width direction W are fixed to the back portion 110 with the central portions sandwiched between the gathered sheet 40 and the back sheet 20.

[0028] The fastening tape 60 has hook members of a hook-and-loop fastener provided on the surface facing the wearer's skin at the portion that protrudes outward in the width direction W from the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20. The fastening tape 60 is fixed to the abdominal side portion 130 by the hook members engaging with the back sheet 20 in the abdominal side portion 130.

[0029] Then, by fixing the fastening tapes 60 of the back portion 110 to the ventral portion 130, the back portion 110 and the ventral portion 130 are connected, and the longitudinal edge Ln of the back portion 110 and the longitudinal edge Lm of the ventral portion 130 are connected circumferentially to form a waist opening corresponding to the waist circumference of the wearer, and the side edges Li, Lj of the crotch portion 120 are connected circumferentially to form openings around the wearer's legs.

[0030] <Inner pads> Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the first inner pad 200, Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the second inner pad 300, and Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the third inner pad 400. As shown in Fig. 4, the first inner pad 200 is formed in a rectangular shape with a width W1 and a length L1, as shown in Fig. 5, the second inner pad 300 is formed in a rectangular shape with a width W1 and a length L2 (<L1), and as shown in Fig. 6, the third inner pad 400 is formed in a rectangular shape with a width W2 (<W1) and a length L3 (<L2).

[0031] That is, the first inner pad 200 and the second inner pad 300 are formed with the same width W1, but the first inner pad 200 is formed longer than the second inner pad 300. The third inner pad 400 is formed with a width W2 smaller than the first inner pad 200 and the second inner pad 300, and a length L3 shorter than the second inner pad 300.

[0032] The first inner pad 200, the second inner pad 300, and the third inner pad 400 are all auxiliary absorbent articles that are placed on the inner surface of the diaper 100. Although not shown, the first inner pad 200, the second inner pad 300, and the third inner pad 400 may each be provided with a fastening member on the back surface shown in the drawing, which engages with the top sheet 10 of the diaper 100. The fastening member may be, for example, a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener, similar to the fastening tape 60 described above, or may be an adhesive member.

[0033] The first inner pad 200 is used for long periods of time, for example, at night, the second inner pad 300 is used for shorter periods of time than the first inner pad 200, for example, during the day, and the third inner pad 400 is used as a low-absorbency type with less absorption than the second inner pad 300.

[0034] 1 and 2, a plurality of lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 extending linearly along the longitudinal direction L from both end edges Ln and Lm in the longitudinal direction L are drawn on the polyethylene sheet 40 in a color different from the base material. The base material of the polyethylene sheet 40 is, for example, transparent or white, and the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 are formed in, for example, light blue. The color of the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 is not limited to light blue.

[0035] These lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 extend continuously from the dorsal portion 110 to the ventral portion 130 along the longitudinal direction L. The lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 may be formed on the inner surface or the outer surface of the polyethylene sheet 40, but are formed so as to be visible from both the inner surface and the outer surface.

[0036] Furthermore, the top sheet 10 of the diaper 100 is formed in white or a color brighter than the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 so as to optically transmit the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 of the diaper 100 can be seen from the inner surface of the diaper 100.

[0037] Similarly, the backsheet 20 of the diaper 100 is formed in white or a color brighter than the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 so as to optically transmit the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 of the diaper 100 can be seen from the outer surface side of the diaper 100.

[0038] In the diaper 100, the absorbent body 30 is formed in a color different from the colors of the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0, for example, white. In the diaper 100, the absorbent body 30 is formed with a width WK (<W2) that does not cover the lines S1 and S2 formed in the polyethylene sheet 40, but the width WK is wider than the width W3 between the lines S3 (W3<WK).

[0039] Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, the lines S1 and S2 can be seen along the entire length of the diaper 100 from the inner surface of the diaper 100, but because the absorbent body 30 covers part of the lines S3 and S0, the lines S3 and S0 can only be seen from the inner surface of the diaper 100 in the longitudinal direction L in the area where the absorbent body 30 is not positioned.

[0040] The line S0 overlaps the center line C of the diaper 100 in the width direction W, and is formed with a thick line width with the center line C as the center of line symmetry. The line S0 is a mark indicating the center of the diaper 100 in the width direction W.

[0041] Two lines S3 are formed outside the line S0 at positions symmetrical to each other across the center line C. The two lines S3 are formed at a position of width W3 between the lines along the width direction W. The lines S3 are marks that indicate a guide for aligning the fastening tape 60 in the width direction W when engaging the fastening tape 60 with the backsheet 20 of the abdominal portion 130.

[0042] That is, the lines S3 and S0 serve as guides for engaging the left and right fastening tapes 60 at equal positions in the width direction W. The two lines S3 are partially hidden by the absorbent body 30 on the inner surface of the diaper 100, but are not partially hidden on the outer surface, so there is no problem when engaging the fastening tapes 60 with the backsheet 20 of the abdominal portion 130.

[0043] Two lines S2 are formed outside the line S3 at positions symmetrical to each other across the center line C. The two lines S2 are formed at a distance W2 (>W3) between them along the width direction W. The width W2 between the two lines S2 coincides with the width W2 of the third inner pad 400 (see FIG. 6).

[0044] In other words, the line S2 is a positioning mark for arranging the third inner pad 400 at the appropriate position in the width direction W when placing it on the inner side of the diaper 100. Here, the appropriate position in the width direction W is a position that is equal on both sides of the center line C in the width direction W. Therefore, by placing the third inner pad 400 with both side edges 401 of the third inner pad 400 aligned with the line S2, the third inner pad 400 can be placed at the appropriate position in the width direction W on the inner side of the diaper 100, and it is possible to prevent the third inner pad 400 from being placed unevenly to the left or right.

[0045] Furthermore, this line S2 serves as a marker for aligning the line that is the side edge 401 of the third inner pad 400 along the entire length of the side edge 401, making the alignment work easier and improving the accuracy of alignment compared to aligning multiple points that are far from each other.

[0046] Two lines S1 are formed outside the line S2, at positions symmetrical to each other across the center line C. The two lines S1 are formed at a width W1 (>W2) between the lines (between the inner edges of the line S1) along the width direction W. The width W1 between the two lines S1 matches the width W1 of the first inner pad 200 (see FIG. 4) and the second inner pad 300 (see FIG. 5).

[0047] In other words, the line S1 is a positioning mark for arranging the first inner pad 200 or the second inner pad 300 at the appropriate position in the width direction W when placing the first inner pad 200 or the second inner pad 300 on the inner side of the diaper 100.

[0048] Therefore, by positioning the first inner pad 200 with both side edges 201 of the first inner pad 200 aligned with the line S1, the first inner pad 200 can be positioned at an appropriate position in the width direction W on the inner surface of the diaper 100, preventing it from being positioned unevenly to the left or right. Similarly, by positioning the second inner pad 300 with both side edges 301 of the second inner pad 300 aligned with the line S1, the second inner pad 300 can be positioned at an appropriate position in the width direction W on the inner surface of the diaper 100, preventing it from being positioned unevenly to the left or right.

[0049] Furthermore, since line S1 serves as a marker for aligning the line that is the side edge 201 of the first inner pad 200 along the entire length of the side edge 201, or the line that is the side edge 301 of the second inner pad 300 along the entire length of the side edge 301, this makes the alignment work easier and improves the accuracy of alignment compared to aligning multiple points that are far from each other.

[0050] Furthermore, the line S1 is formed to have a wider line width (line width) than the line S2. Therefore, when the first inner pad 200 or the second inner pad 300 having the width W1 is disposed in the diaper 100, the wearer or the like can recognize that the pair of two wide lines S1 is the line along which the side edge 201 of the first inner pad 200 or the side edge 301 of the second inner pad 300 should be aligned.

[0051] On the other hand, when the diaper 100 is arranged with a third inner pad 400 of width W2, the wearer or the like can recognize that the pair of two narrow lines S2 are the lines along which the side edge 401 of the third inner pad 400 should be aligned.

[0052] In this way, the diaper 100 has two lines that should form a pair (a pair of lines S1 and S1, or a pair of lines S2 and S2) that have the same line width, but the line widths differ between the two pairs, so that the pair of lines that should form a pair can be correctly recognized by the wearer, etc.

[0053] The diaper 100 is not limited to a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in line width, but may be a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in brightness of the same color. Although the diaper 100 does not exclude a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in color (hue), a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in color complicates the manufacturing process of the diaper 100 compared to a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in brightness of a single color, and therefore a configuration in which the lines S1, S2 are distinguished by differences in brightness of a single color is preferred.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a more preferred aspect of the diaper 100 of embodiment 1, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along line B-B in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a view showing details of part E in FIG. 7.

[0055] As shown in Figure 1, the absorbent body 30 of the diaper 100 is formed with a width WK that does not obscure the line S2 that marks the position of the third inner pad 400. Therefore, the width W of the absorbent body 30 is narrower than that of a conventional diaper in which this marking line S2 is not formed. Furthermore, the diaper 100 has a lower rigidity against bending in the thickness direction D than that of a conventional diaper in which the width W of the absorbent body 30 does not mark the line S2.

[0056] When the diaper 100 is provided as a product, it is folded inward in the thickness direction D along lines Lp and Lq extending in the width direction W, i.e., folded into thirds, as shown in Fig. 7. When the diaper 100 is folded into thirds, the line Lp extending in the width direction W as a fold line is formed at a position that substantially coincides with, for example, the boundary line between the abdominal portion 130 and the crotch portion 120 in the longitudinal direction L, and the line Lq extending in the width direction W as a fold line is formed at a position that substantially coincides with, for example, the boundary line between the dorsal portion 110 and the crotch portion 120 in the longitudinal direction L.

[0057] In the diaper 100, the rubber threads 51 provided on the gathered sheet 50 are arranged along the longitudinal direction L, spanning from the back portion 110 to the ventral portion 130, and the restoring force of the rubber threads 51 acts on the crotch portion 120, tending to deflect the crotch portion 120 in the thickness direction D. At this time, the absorber 30 in the crotch portion 120 has lower rigidity than conventional diapers, and therefore there is a risk that it will bend significantly in the thickness direction D due to the restoring force of the rubber threads 51.

[0058] When the crotch region 120 is bent, the lines S1 and S2, which are marks for the proper placement positions of the inner pads 200, 300, and 400, become curved rather than straight. When the lines S1 and S2 are curved, it becomes difficult to align the side edges 201, 301, and 401 of the inner pads 200, 300, and 400.

[0059] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8, in the diaper 100, the region 30a of the absorber 30 corresponding to the crotch region 120, which is prone to bending, is made to have higher rigidity than the regions 30b and 30c outside the lines Lp and Lq in the longitudinal direction L. Specifically, the regions 30b and 30c outside the lines Lp and Lq of the absorber 30 are made of a single layer of absorbent member 31, whereas the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120 is made of a two-layer absorbent member 31. The two-layer absorbent member 31 has higher bending rigidity than the single-layer absorbent member 31.

[0060] The absorbent body 30 is formed with high rigidity in the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120, which makes it difficult for the crotch region 120 to bend, and the lines S1 and S2 tend to remain aligned. Therefore, the diaper 100 can prevent difficulty in aligning the side edges 201, 301, and 401 of the inner pads 200, 300, and 400.

[0061] In addition, the configuration for increasing the rigidity of the region 30a of the absorbent body 30 corresponding to the crotch region 120 may be achieved by making the width of the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120 wider than the width of the regions 30b and 30c outside the lines Lp and Lq, in addition to the above-mentioned two-layer absorbent member 31.

[0062] In addition, a configuration for increasing the rigidity of the region 30a of the absorbent body 30 corresponding to the crotch region 120 may be achieved by increasing the density of the absorbent member 31 in the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120 to be higher than the density of the absorbent member 31 in the regions 30b and 30c outside the lines Lp and Lq, thereby increasing the basis weight.

[0063] The diaper 100 may employ a configuration in which, instead of increasing the rigidity of the region 30a of the absorber 30 corresponding to the crotch region 120, the restoring force of the rubber thread 51 acting on the crotch region 120 is reduced. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, in the diaper 100, the rubber thread 51 is cut at the portions where it intersects with the line Lq and the line Lp (not shown). As a result, in the diaper 100, the restoring force of the rubber thread 51 in the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120 is reduced.

[0064] The diaper 100 configured in this manner, like the diaper 100 configured with increased rigidity in the region 30a corresponding to the crotch region 120, is less likely to flex in the crotch region 120, and the lines S1 and S2 tend to remain aligned. Therefore, the diaper 100 can prevent difficulty in aligning the side edges 201, 301, and 401 of the inner pads 200, 300, and 400.

[0065] (Longitudinal alignment mark (second mark)) Figure 10 is a plan view showing a portion of the diaper 100 where a line 32a serving as a longitudinal alignment mark (second mark) for positioning the first inner pad 200 in the longitudinal direction L and a line 31a serving as a longitudinal alignment mark (second mark) for positioning the second inner pad 300 in the longitudinal direction L are formed, and Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along line F-F in Figure 10.

[0066] As described above, the diaper 100 is formed with lines S1 and S2 that serve as markers for alignment in the width direction W when placing the first inner pad 200, the second inner pad 300, or the third inner pad 400. Therefore, since the first inner pad 200 and the second inner pad 300 are formed with the same width W1, alignment in the width direction W can be achieved by aligning the side edges 201 and 301 with the inner edges of the marker line S1.

[0067] On the other hand, the first inner pad 200 and the second inner pad 300 have different lengths, which are sizes along the longitudinal direction L, and the length L2 of the second inner pad 300 is shorter than the length L1 of the first inner pad 200. Therefore, it is difficult for a wearer or the like to recognize the proper position in the longitudinal direction L when placing the first inner pad 200 or the second inner pad 300 in the diaper 100.

[0068] Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, it is preferable that the diaper 100 is formed with a line 32a, which is a second marker along which one edge 202 (see Figure 4) of the first inner pad 200 in the longitudinal direction L should be aligned when the first inner pad 200 is positioned in the appropriate position in the longitudinal direction L, and a line 31a, which is a second marker along which one edge 302 (see Figure 5) of the second inner pad 300 in the longitudinal direction L should be aligned when the second inner pad 300 is positioned in the appropriate position in the longitudinal direction L.

[0069] Here, the lines 32a and 31a, which are the second marks shown in Fig. 10, are both lines parallel to the width direction W of the diaper 100. The lines 32a and 31a are formed by the absorbent body 30, as shown in Fig. 11, for example. Specifically, the absorbent body 30 is composed of an absorbent member 31 and crepe paper 32, but the end of the absorbent body 30 on the back side portion 110 side in the longitudinal direction L is formed only by the crepe paper 32 that is not filled with the absorbent member 31. The crepe paper 32 is formed in a color that is optically transparent to the line S0, for example, white.

[0070] The length along the longitudinal direction L of the end of this absorbent body 30, which is formed only by crepe paper 32, is set to be the same as the difference ΔL (= L1 - L2) between the length L1 of the first inner pad 200 and the length L2 of the second inner pad 300.

[0071] In other words, the end of the absorbent body 30, which is an area of ​​length ΔL from the upper edge 32a shown in the figure, is formed only from crepe paper 32, and the area below the lower edge 31a of that end is filled with absorbent member 31.

[0072] The edge of the absorbent body 30 formed only of the crepe paper 32 optically transmits the line S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 placed below the absorbent body 30, as shown in FIG.

[0073] As a result, the line S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 is visible through the top sheet 10 and the crepe paper 32 in the region above the edge 32a of the crepe paper 32 in the illustrations ( FIGS. 10 and 11 ). The line S0 appears relatively darker above the edge 32a and relatively lighter below the edge 32a, and this difference in color enables the wearer to recognize the edge 32a as a line 32a extending in the width direction W.

[0074] Therefore, the diaper 100 can be formed with the line 32a as a second mark indicating the proper position where the first inner pad 200 should be placed with the end edge 202 in the longitudinal direction L aligned.

[0075] Furthermore, the line S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 is visible through the top sheet 10 and the crepe paper 32 in the region above the edge 31a as shown in the figure, but is hidden by the absorbent member 31 and is not visible in the region below the edge 31a.

[0076] This allows the line S0 to be seen above the edge 31a and not seen below the edge 31a, allowing the wearer to recognize the edge 31a as a line 31a extending in the width direction W.

[0077] Therefore, the diaper 100 can be formed with the line 31a as a second mark indicating the proper position where the second inner pad 300 should be placed with the end edge 302 in the longitudinal direction L aligned.

[0078] In the above-described diaper 100, the second marks 32a, 31a are formed by the difference in optical transmittance utilizing the overlap between the line S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet and the absorbent body 30. However, the second marks 32a, 31a may also be formed in other ways utilizing the overlap between the line S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet and the absorbent body 30.

[0079] Figure 12 shows an example of a diaper in which lines 34, 35, which are second marks, are formed by forming part of the outline shape of the absorbent body 30 in a sawtooth shape.When the absorbent body 30 is placed over a line S0 of a different color from the absorbent body 30, which is formed on a polyethylene sheet 40, the lines 34, 35 of the absorbent body 30 can be seen with good optical contrast.

[0080] Therefore, in a diaper formed in this manner, line 34 can be used as a second marker indicating the placement position of length L4 along the longitudinal direction L, and line 35 can be used as a second marker indicating the placement position of length L5 along the longitudinal direction L.

[0081] 13 shows an example of a diaper in which part of the outline of line S0 formed on polyethylene sheet 40 is formed in a wavy line shape, so that the wavy line is recessed inward in the line width direction (the same as width direction W), thereby forming the position of narrowed portion 42 in width direction W as a second mark. In a diaper configured in this manner, the linear side edge of absorber 30 is overlapped with line S0 formed on polyethylene sheet 40 and of a different color from that of absorber 30, allowing the wearer or the like to recognize the narrowed portion of wavy line S0 as line 37 extending along width direction W.

[0082] Therefore, in a diaper formed in this manner, line 36, which is the edge of the upper end of absorbent body 30, can be used as a second marker indicating the position of length L6 along the longitudinal direction L, and line 37 can be used as a second marker indicating the position of length L7 along the longitudinal direction L.

[0083] In the diaper 100 of the above-described embodiment, the lines S1, S2 are formed at two different positions in the width direction W to correspond to the multiple types of inner pads 200, 300, 400 having different sizes in the width direction W. Therefore, the diaper 100 can appropriately position the multiple types of inner pads 200, 300, 400 having different sizes in the width direction W.

[0084] In the diaper 100, if the inner pads to be arranged are only of one width W, it is sufficient to form only one pair of marking lines S at the arrangement position of the one width W.

[0085] In the diaper 100 of this embodiment, the backsheet 20 allows the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 to be optically transparent, and therefore the lines S1, S2, S3, and S4 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 can be used as a visually recognizable design element on the exterior of the diaper 100. Therefore, the diaper 100 can have the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 as markers formed as part of the exterior design of the diaper 100.

[0086] Therefore, the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 that appear on the exterior of the diaper 100 can be recognized by the wearer and the like not only as functional means for aligning the inner pads 200, 300, and 400 and the fastening tape 60, but also as an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

[0087] In the diaper 100, the back sheet 20 allows the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 to be optically transparent, but if there is no need to use the lines S3 and S0 as markers to guide the alignment of the fastening tape 60, the back sheet 20 does not need to allow the lines S1, S2, S3, and S0 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 to be optically transparent.

[0088] In the above-described diaper 100, lines S1 and S2 formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 are used as markers for the placement position in the width direction W, but the markers are not limited to lines S1 and S2, and any shape can be used as long as the alignment is achieved by aligning the side edge 201 of the first inner pad 200, the side edge 301 of the second inner pad 300, and the side edge 401 of the third inner pad 400, and various designs formed on the polyethylene sheet 40 can be applied. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0089] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-033690, filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 6, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a dorsal portion, a crotch portion and a ventral portion formed in a continuous manner along the longitudinal direction, and comprising a liquid-permeable inner sheet, an absorbent body that absorbs and retains moisture, an intermediate sheet and an outer sheet arranged in that order from the skin side facing the wearer's skin, at least one of the intermediate sheet and the outer sheet being liquid-impermeable, wherein the intermediate sheet has linear marks formed on it that extend continuously from the dorsal portion to the ventral portion along the longitudinal direction and that align with both side edges of the width direction of the auxiliary absorbent article when the auxiliary absorbent article is placed at an appropriate position in the width direction of the absorbent article, the absorbent body being formed with a width that does not cover the marks, and the inner sheet is optically transparent to the marks.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the marks are formed at a plurality of different positions in the width direction corresponding to a plurality of types of auxiliary absorbent articles having different sizes in the width direction.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the line markings are formed with different line widths corresponding to a plurality of types of auxiliary absorbent articles having different sizes in the width direction.

4. An absorbent article as described in claim 1, wherein the absorbent body has elastic members arranged along the longitudinal direction on both sides in the width direction that cause gathers to rise toward the skin, and the absorbent body is formed so that the region corresponding to the crotch region in the longitudinal direction has higher rigidity than the regions corresponding to the dorsal and abdominal regions, respectively.

5. An absorbent article as described in claim 1, wherein the crotch region has elastic members extending along the longitudinal direction on both sides in the width direction, causing gathers to rise toward the skin, and the elastic members are cut at portions that intersect with fold lines extending in the width direction when the absorbent article is folded in thirds in the longitudinal direction.

6. An absorbent article as described in claim 1, in which a second mark extending along the width direction is formed to align at least one longitudinal edge of an auxiliary absorbent article when the auxiliary absorbent article is placed in the appropriate position in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article by overlapping the skin side of the inner sheet of the absorbent article.

7. The absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein the second mark is formed on the intermediate sheet.

8. An absorbent article as described in claim 7, wherein the second marks are formed at multiple different positions in the longitudinal direction to correspond to multiple types of auxiliary absorbent articles with different longitudinal sizes, and at least one of the multiple second marks formed at the multiple positions is formed by overlapping a design formed on the intermediate sheet with the absorbent body.

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