Absorbent article

Abstract

This absorbent article comprises a liquid-absorbing absorbent body, and a skin-side sheet part that is provided closer to the skin side than the absorbent body and that has an opening. The skin-side sheet part has a portion that is provided at least in the center in the width direction and can come into contact with the skin of the wearer when worn. The absorbent article has a space-forming sheet part which is closer to the skin side than the skin-side sheet part and provided at the end section on the back side in the longitudinal direction and which is for forming an excrement storage space. The space-forming sheet part can stretch in the width direction, and both sides of the space-forming sheet part in the width direction are joined by a plurality of fused portions to a member overlapping the space-forming sheet part in the thickness direction. The end section on the back side of the space-forming sheet part is fixed to at least a member adjacent to the space-forming sheet part in the thickness direction, and the end section on the abdominal side in the longitudinal direction of the space-forming sheet part can form an inlet to the excrement storage space. The average area of the fused portions is larger than the average area of the opening in an exposed region of the skin-side sheet part exposed to the skin side.

Description

absorbent articles

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

[0002] Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers are used to absorb excrement such as urine and feces. Therefore, it is desirable for the absorbent article to have good absorbency and prevent excrement leakage when worn. To improve the absorbency of absorbent articles, for example, a disposable diaper, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, is known in which the top sheet is provided with through-holes penetrating in the thickness direction, thereby improving the absorbency of excrement. Also, to prevent excrement leakage from absorbent articles, a known excrement pad, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2, is known in which adhesive portions are attached to the back and ventral ends of three sides of the leakage prevention sheet, and an opening is provided toward the center of the excrement pad, thereby forming a bag-shaped leakage prevention sheet. This excrement pad can prevent excrement from leaking to the outside by guiding the excrement into the bag.

[0003] JP-A No. 5-253259 JP-A No. 11-19107

[0004] In order to improve the absorbency of bodily waste by providing through holes in the top sheet of an absorbent article while preventing leakage of bodily waste by providing bag-like portions in the leakproof sheet, it is preferable to fix the leakproof sheet by welding, thereby more firmly joining the sheet and preventing leakage of bodily waste. However, if the top sheet is provided with through holes and welded parts for fixing the leakproof sheet, there is a risk that the welded parts will appear to the wearer as through-holes that penetrate in the thickness direction, just like the through holes, and this may lead the wearer to mistakenly believe that bodily waste will leak from the leakproof sheet.

[0005] The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to improve the absorbency of excrement while reducing the risk of misleading users into thinking that excrement will leak from the welded parts used to secure the space-forming sheet part.

[0006] The main invention for achieving the above object is an absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction which are perpendicular to one another in a deployed and stretched state, and comprising a liquid-absorbing absorbent body, and a skin-side sheet portion which is provided on the skin side of the absorbent body and has a plurality of openings penetrating in the thickness direction, wherein the skin-side sheet portion is provided at least in the center in the width direction and has a portion which can come into contact with the skin of a wearer when worn, and a space-forming sheet portion for forming an excrement storage space which is provided on the skin side of the skin-side sheet portion and at an end on the back side in the longitudinal direction, and the space-forming sheet portion is an absorbent article characterized in that it is stretchable in the width direction, both side edges of the space-forming sheet portion in the width direction are joined to members overlapping the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction by a plurality of welded portions, the back-side end of the space-forming sheet portion is fixed to at least a member adjacent to the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction, the ventral-side end of the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction is capable of forming an entrance to the excrement collection space, and the average area of ​​the welded portions is larger than the average area of ​​the opening in an exposed region of the skin-side sheet portion that is exposed to the skin side. Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that improves the absorbency of excrement while reducing the risk of causing the user to mistakenly believe that excrement may leak from the welded parts that secure the space-forming sheet part.

[0008] 5 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state as viewed from the skin side. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state as viewed from the non-skin side. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the excrement storage space P. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the welded region R. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the welded region R. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the welded joining of the skin-side sheet portion 3 and the space-forming sheet portion 9. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of one side in the width direction in FIG. 5.

[0009] The present specification and the accompanying drawings make clear at least the following: (Aspect 1) An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction that are orthogonal to one another in an unfolded and extended state, the absorbent article comprising a liquid-absorbing absorbent body, and a skin-side sheet portion that is provided closer to the skin than the absorbent body and has a plurality of openings that penetrate in the thickness direction, the skin-side sheet portion being provided at least in a central portion in the width direction and having a portion that can contact the skin of a wearer when worn, and a space-forming sheet portion for forming an excrement storage space that is provided closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion and at an end portion on the back side in the longitudinal direction, the space-forming sheet portion being stretched in the width direction The absorbent article is characterized in that it is shrinkable, both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion are joined to a member that overlaps the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction by a plurality of welded portions, the back side end of the space-forming sheet portion is fixed to at least a member adjacent to the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction, and the ventral side end of the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction is capable of forming an entrance to the excrement storage space, and the average area of ​​the welded portions is larger than the average area of ​​the opening in the exposed region of the skin-side sheet portion that is exposed to the skin side.

[0010] According to aspect 1, the skin-side sheet portion has multiple openings, which improves the absorbency of excrement when worn and makes it easier for the wearer to get the impression that the garment absorbs excrement well when worn. At the same time, the average area of ​​the welded portions is larger than the average area of ​​the openings, making it easier for the wearer to recognize that the welded portions do not penetrate in the thickness direction than when the average area of ​​the welded portions is smaller than the average area of ​​the openings, and making it easier to reduce the risk of the wearer mistakingly believing that excrement will leak from the welded portions.

[0011] (Aspect 2) The absorbent article of Aspect 1, wherein the space-forming sheet portion has a welding region on both sides in the width direction where the plurality of welding portions are provided, and the total area of ​​the plurality of openings per unit area in the exposed region is greater than the total area of ​​the plurality of welding portions per unit area in the welding region.

[0012] According to aspect 2, since the total area of ​​the multiple openings per unit area in the exposed region is larger than the total area of ​​the multiple welded portions per unit area in the welded region, the area occupied by the welded portions in the welded region can be made smaller than when the total area of ​​the multiple openings per unit area in the exposed region is equal to or smaller than the total area of ​​the multiple welded portions per unit area in the welded region.This makes the welded portions less visible to the wearer, etc., and helps to reduce the risk of the wearer or others mistaking the welded portions for leakage due to the welded portions penetrating in the thickness direction.

[0013] (Aspect 3) The absorbent article of Aspect 1 or 2 is characterized in that the space-forming sheet portion has a welding region in which the plurality of welding portions are provided on both sides in the width direction, and the proportion of the welding portions in the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction is 90% or more of the length of the welding region in the longitudinal direction.

[0014] According to Aspect 3, it is possible to reduce the risk of excrement leaking from the widthwise ends of the welded region. Furthermore, by providing a welded region at the side end of the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction that covers 90% or more of the longitudinal length of the welded region, it is easier to give the impression to the wearer or the like that the absorbent article is one in which excrement stored in the excrement storage space is unlikely to leak from the excrement storage space.

[0015] (Aspect 4) A pair of leak-proof wall portions is provided on both sides in the width direction, and the leak-proof wall portions have a leak-proof wall sheet portion along the longitudinal direction, a leak-proof wall elastic member that stretches in the longitudinal direction, an upstanding portion that can stand on the skin side, and a non-upstanding portion that cannot stand, and the non-upstanding portion has a first non-upstanding portion and a second non-upstanding portion, and the first non-upstanding portion is provided outward of the upstanding portion in the width direction, and the second non-upstanding portion is provided outward of the upstanding portion in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent article of any of aspects 1 to 3 is characterized in that the second non-standing portion is fixed to a member adjacent to the leakproof wall sheet portion in the thickness direction by a leakproof wall second fixing portion, the leakproof wall second fixing portion is joined by welding, at least a portion of the leakproof wall second fixing portion is provided between the opening and the multiple welded portions in the width direction, and the average area of ​​the leakproof wall second fixing portion is larger than the average area of ​​the welded portions.

[0016] According to aspect 4, by providing a second fixing portion of the leakage prevention wall that has an average area larger in the width direction than the opening and the welded portion, the likelihood of the wearer or the like noticing the welded portion is reduced, making it easier for the wearer or the like to recognize that the welded portion does not penetrate in the thickness direction, and making it easier to reduce the risk of the wearer or the like mistakenly believing that excrement will leak from the welded portion.

[0017] (Aspect 5) The space forming sheet portion has a welded region where the plurality of welded portions are provided on both sides in the width direction, and has a pair of leakage preventing wall portions on both sides in the width direction, the leakage preventing wall portions have a leakage preventing wall sheet portion along the longitudinal direction, a leakage preventing wall elastic member that stretches in the longitudinal direction, an upstanding portion that can stand on the skin side, and a non-upstanding portion that cannot stand, the non-upstanding portion has a first non-upstanding portion and a second non-upstanding portion, the first non-upstanding portion is provided on the outer side of the upstanding portion in the width direction, The absorbent article of any of aspects 1 to 4 is characterized in that the second non-standing portion is located further outward in the longitudinal direction than the standing portion, the first non-standing portion is fixed to a member adjacent to the leakproof wall sheet portion in the thickness direction by a leakproof wall first fixing portion, the leakproof wall first fixing portion is joined by welding, and in the portion where the leakproof wall first fixing portion and the welded area overlap in the longitudinal direction, the average area of ​​the leakproof wall first fixing portion is larger than the average area of ​​the welded portion.

[0018] According to aspect 5, by providing a first fixing portion of the leakage prevention wall that has an average area larger in the width direction than the opening and the welded portion, the likelihood of the wearer or the like noticing the welded portion is reduced, making it easier for the wearer or the like to recognize that the welded portion does not penetrate in the thickness direction, and making it easier to reduce the risk of the wearer or the like mistakenly believing that excrement will leak from the welded portion.

[0019] (Aspect 6) The absorbent article of any of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the space-forming sheet portion has a welding region on both sides in the width direction where the plurality of welding portions are provided, the plurality of openings are evenly arranged in the longitudinal direction and the width direction in the exposed region, and the plurality of welding portions are unevenly arranged in the welding region in the longitudinal direction and the width direction.

[0020] According to aspect 6, the arrangement of the multiple welded portions is different from the arrangement of the multiple openings, making it easier for the wearer to recognize that the multiple welded portions are parts that do not penetrate in the thickness direction, unlike the skin-side sheet portion which has openings that penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0021] (Aspect 7) The absorbent article of any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the space-forming sheet portion is formed by stacking a plurality of sheets in the thickness direction, the plurality of sheets having a plurality of compressed portions compressed in the thickness direction, and the average area of ​​the welded portions is larger than the average area of ​​the compressed portions.

[0022] According to Aspect 7, by making the average area of ​​the welded portions larger than the average area of ​​the compressed portions, the space-forming sheet portion can be more firmly bonded to the overlapping member in the thickness direction than when the average area of ​​the welded portions is equal to or smaller than the average area of ​​the compressed portions, and this reduces the risk of excrement contained in the excrement collection space leaking due to peeling or damage of the space-forming sheet portion. Also, it is easier for the wearer to recognize that there is little risk of peeling or damage to the space-forming sheet portion.

[0023] (Aspect 8) The absorbent article of any of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein the skin-side sheet portion has a central sheet and a pair of side sheets that are sheet members different from the central sheet, the central sheet is provided in the center in the width direction and has a portion that can contact the wearer's skin when worn, the pair of side sheets are provided on both side edges in the width direction, the width direction edges of the central sheet have fixing parts that are fixed to the inner side edges of the side sheets in the width direction, the total area of ​​the plurality of openings that penetrate the central sheet in the thickness direction per unit area is larger than the total area of ​​the plurality of openings that penetrate the side sheets in the thickness direction per unit area, both side edges in the width direction of the space-forming sheet portion are joined to a plurality of members that overlap the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction at the plurality of welded parts, and the central sheet is not included in the plurality of members, and the side sheets are included in the plurality of members.

[0024] According to Aspect 8, the wearer is more likely to be impressed by the high absorbency of excrement when worn, the wearer is more likely to recognize that the welded portions do not penetrate the thickness direction, and the wearer is less likely to mistakenly believe that excrement will leak from the welded portions, and by including side sheets with a smaller total opening area than the central sheet in the multiple components welded to the space-forming sheet portion, the strength of the welded joint at the welded portions can be improved compared to when a central sheet with a larger total opening area than the side sheets is included in the multiple components. This makes it easier to recognize that the welded portions are not through holes, improves excrement absorbency, reduces the risk of the space-forming sheet portion at the welded portions coming off the multiple components, and makes it easier to retain excrement in the excrement collection space.

[0025] (Aspect 9) The absorbent article of Aspect 8, wherein the fixed portion comprises a plurality of fixed welds, and the average area of ​​the openings is smaller than the average area of ​​the fixed welds.

[0026] According to aspect 9, the multiple openings in the skin-side sheet portion improve the absorbency of excrement when worn, and make it easier for the wearer to get the impression that the excrement is well absorbed when worn. This improves the fixing strength between the central sheet and the side sheets, while also making it easier for the wearer to recognize that the welded portion does not penetrate in the thickness direction, and makes it easier to reduce the risk of the wearer mistakingly believing that excrement will leak from the welded portion.

[0027] ====Present Embodiment===== Hereinafter, a so-called tape-type disposable diaper 1 for infants (hereinafter simply referred to as "diaper 1") will be described as an example of an absorbent article. However, the absorbent article according to the present invention may also be an absorbent article such as a pants-type disposable diaper, an absorbent pad, or sanitary shorts. Furthermore, the absorbent article is not limited to an absorbent article for infants, but may also be an absorbent article for adults. Hereinafter, an infant who wears the diaper 1, and a person who puts the diaper 1 on an infant, will also be referred to as a "wearer, etc."

[0028] <<<Basic Structure of Disposable Diaper 1>>> Fig. 1 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state, as seen from the skin side. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state, as seen from the non-skin side. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion X in Fig. 1.

[0029] The unfolded state of the diaper 1 refers to the state in which the entire diaper 1 is unfolded in a plane. The stretched state of the diaper 1 refers to the state in which the diaper 1 is stretched to such an extent that wrinkles that have occurred in the diaper 1 are substantially invisible, and the diaper 1 is stretched to such an extent that the dimensions of each component constituting the diaper 1 (e.g., the outer sheet 5 described below) are the same as or close to the dimensions of the component alone.

[0030] In the unfolded and stretched state shown in FIG. 1 and elsewhere, the diaper 1 has a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction that are perpendicular to one another. From the back side in the longitudinal direction, the diaper 1 has a back waist section 1A, a crotch section 1C, and a ventral waist section 1B. The thickness direction is the direction in which the components constituting the diaper 1 are stacked. The side that contacts the wearer is referred to as the "skin side," and the opposite side is referred to as the "non-skin side." As shown in FIG. 1 and elsewhere, the diaper 1 has a substantially bilaterally symmetrical shape. In FIG. 1 and elsewhere, the center line C-C is the center in the width direction, and the center line CL is the center in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction corresponds to the "up-down direction" when the diaper is worn, with the back side and ventral side in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the "upper side" and "crotch side," respectively, when worn. In other words, the back end and the ventral end in the longitudinal direction are the upper ends in the vertical direction when worn, and the longitudinal center line CL is the lower end (crotch) in the vertical direction when worn.

[0031] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the diaper 1 is divided into three equal parts in the longitudinal direction, and the dorsal-most part is designated as a dorsal waistline section 1A, the ventral-most part is designated as a ventral waistline section 1B, and the part between the dorsal waistline section 1A and the ventral waistline section 1B is designated as a crotch section 1C. In the diaper 1, the dorsal waistline section 1A is a dorsal-side member that covers the dorsal side of the wearer, the ventral waistline section 1B is a ventral-side member that covers the ventral side of the wearer, and the crotch section 1C is a member that is placed between the crotch of the wearer.

[0032] The diaper 1 comprises a liquid-absorbing absorbent body 2, a skin-side sheet portion 3 and a second sheet 7 provided on the skin side of the absorbent body 2, a leak-barrier sheet 4, an outer sheet 5, and a nonwoven fabric sheet 8 provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 2, leak-barrier walls 6 provided on both sides in the width direction, a back-side side flap 10A, a ventral-side side flap 10B, a target member 15, and a space-forming sheet portion 9. Each member is joined by a joining means such as a hot-melt adhesive.

[0033] The absorbent body 2 absorbs excrement such as urine and feces. The absorbent body 2 has a longitudinally long rectangular shape and is arranged across the back waistband 1A, crotch portion 1C, and ventral waistband 1B. The absorbent body 2 has an absorbent core 21 and a core wrap sheet 22, each having a predetermined shape, for absorbing excrement such as urine.

[0034] The absorbent core 21 has a longitudinally long rectangular shape as an example of a predetermined shape. The liquid-absorbent material constituting the absorbent core 21 may be, for example, a liquid-absorbent fiber such as pulp fiber or a liquid-absorbent granular material such as a superabsorbent polymer (so-called SAP). The absorbent core 21 may also contain a liquid-absorbent material other than the liquid-absorbent fiber or the liquid-absorbent granular material.

[0035] The core wrap sheet 22 includes a skin-side core wrap portion 22a that covers the skin-side surface of the absorbent core 21, and a non-skin-side core wrap portion 22b that covers the non-skin-side surface of the absorbent core 21. Examples of suitable materials for the core wrap sheet 22 include tissue paper and nonwoven fabric.

[0036] The configuration of the absorbent body 2 is not limited to this. For example, the absorbent core may be an absorbent core made only of liquid-absorbent fibers such as pulp fibers, an absorbent core made of a SAP (super absorbent polymer) sheet, a combination of liquid-absorbent fibers and super absorbent polymers (SAP), or an absorbent core made of a material capable of absorbing excrement, such as other polymer compounds. The absorbent core may also be configured by stacking multiple absorbent cores in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the core wrap sheet 22 is not an essential component, and the absorbent core may be configured without the core wrap sheet 22, or may be configured to cover either the skin side or the non-skin side of the absorbent core as needed.

[0037] The skin side sheet portion 3 has a central sheet 31 and a pair of side sheets 32. The pair of side sheets 32 are sheet members different from the central sheet 31.

[0038] The central sheet 31 is a sheet member provided in the widthwise center of the diaper 1. The skin-facing side of the diaper 1 is exposed on the central sheet 31, and has a portion that can contact the wearer's skin when worn. Examples of the central sheet 31 include liquid-permeable sheet members such as air-through nonwoven fabrics and spunbond nonwoven fabrics. Because the central sheet 31 contacts the wearer's skin, it is preferably made of a material that is softer and more comfortable to the touch than the side sheets 32. The central sheet 31 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape. The longitudinal length of the central sheet 31 is the same as the longitudinal length of the diaper 1, and the width length of the central sheet 31 is longer than the width length of the absorbent core 2 and shorter than the width length of the leak-barrier sheet 4. The central sheet 31 is provided with a plurality of openings 31h penetrating through its thickness. As shown in FIG. 5 and other figures, the central sheet 31 of this embodiment has a plurality of substantially circular openings 31h arranged in a staggered pattern across the entire area of ​​the central sheet 31.

[0039] A pair of side sheets 32 are provided on both widthwise edge portions. Specifically, the inner widthwise edge of each side sheet 32 ​​is provided widthwise inward of the side edge of the absorbent body 2, and the outer widthwise edge of each side sheet 32 ​​is provided widthwise outward of the side edge of the absorbent body 2. The longitudinal length of the side sheets 32 is approximately the same as the longitudinal length of the central sheet 31. Examples of the side sheets 32 include liquid-permeable or hydrophobic sheet members such as air-through nonwoven fabrics and spunbond nonwoven fabrics. The side sheets 32 of this embodiment do not have openings that penetrate through the thickness direction, like the openings 31h provided in the central sheet 31.

[0040] When viewed in the thickness direction of the diaper 1, the inner widthwise edge of the side sheet 32 ​​overlaps the central sheet 31, while the outer widthwise edge of the side sheet 32 ​​does not overlap the central sheet 31. When viewed in the thickness direction of the diaper 1, fastening portions 3f for fastening the central sheet 31 and the side sheet 32 ​​are provided at the widthwise edge (outer edge) of the central sheet 31 where the central sheet 31 and the side sheet 32 ​​overlap, and at the inner widthwise edge of the side sheet 32. The fastening portions 3f fasten the central sheet 31 and the side sheet 32 ​​to form the skin-side sheet portion 3. Note that although the fastening portions 3f of the diaper 1 of this embodiment are welded, they may also be bonded using an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive.

[0041] The second sheet 7 is a sheet member that is provided closer to the skin than the absorbent body 2 and closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion 3. The provision of the second sheet 7 makes it easier to transfer excrement absorbed from the skin-side sheet portion 3 to the absorbent body 2, and reduces the risk of excrement once absorbed from the skin-side sheet portion 3 returning to the skin-side surface of the skin-side sheet portion 3. Examples of the second sheet 7 include liquid-permeable sheet members such as air-through nonwoven fabrics and spunbond nonwoven fabrics. The second sheet 7 is not necessarily provided.

[0042] The nonwoven fabric sheet 8 is a sheet member made of nonwoven fabric and provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 2 and on the skin side of the leak-barrier sheet 4. In other words, the nonwoven fabric sheet 8 is a nonwoven fabric provided between the non-skin side core wrap portion 22b and the leak-barrier sheet 4. In the diaper 1, the absorbent body 2 is a thick and rigid member, but by providing the nonwoven fabric sheet 8 on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 2 (non-skin side core wrap portion 22b), the diaper 1 tends to feel softer to the touch from the non-skin side.

[0043] The leak-barrier sheet 4 is a liquid-impermeable sheet member provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 2. The leak-barrier sheet 4 of this embodiment is longer than the absorbent body 2 in both the longitudinal and transverse directions and has a shape that forms the outer shape of the diaper 1. The leak-barrier sheet 4 can be, for example, a sheet member such as a resin film, e.g., a polyethylene film.

[0044] The outer sheet 5 is a sheet member provided on the non-skin side of the leak-barrier sheet 4. In this embodiment, the outer sheet 5 has substantially the same size and shape as the leak-barrier sheet 4, and forms the outer shape of the diaper 1. The outer sheet 5 can be, for example, a flexible sheet member such as an SMS nonwoven fabric (spunbond / meltblown / spunbond nonwoven fabric).

[0045] The leakage barrier walls 6 are so-called three-dimensional gathers. The leakage barrier walls 6 are located closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion 3 in the thickness direction, and are located on both widthwise sides of the diaper 1. Each pair of leakage barrier walls 6 includes a leakage barrier sheet 61 and a longitudinally stretchable leakage barrier elastic member 62. Each pair of leakage barrier walls 6 includes a standing portion 6b that can stand toward the skin side and a non-standing portion 6a that cannot stand. Contraction of the leakage barrier elastic member 62 causes the standing portion 6b of the leakage barrier wall 6 to stand toward the skin side. The provision of the leakage barrier wall 6 reduces the risk of excrement leaking across the width of the diaper 1. The leakage barrier sheet 61 is a rectangular sheet member extending in the longitudinal direction, and may be a liquid-permeable or hydrophobic sheet. The leakage barrier elastic member 62 may be, for example, rubber thread, and is fixed to the leakage barrier sheet 61 with a hot-melt adhesive or the like while stretched in the longitudinal direction.

[0046] The leak barrier sheet 61 is fixed to adjacent members in the thickness direction, such as the skin-side sheet portion 3, at a longitudinal joining region s1 extending from the dorsal end to the ventral end in the longitudinal direction, and is also fixed to adjacent members in the thickness direction, such as the skin-side sheet portion 3, at joining regions s2 at both front-to-rear ends inward in the width direction from the joining region s1. These joining regions s1 and s2 each constitute a non-standing portion 6a that cannot stand up against the skin side by fixing the leak barrier sheet 61 to the skin-side sheet portion 3 (a member adjacent to the leak barrier sheet 61 in the thickness direction), and the standing portion 6b is located inward in the width direction from the joining region s1 and inward in the longitudinal direction from the joining region s2. The non-standing portion 6a has a first non-standing portion 6a1 located outward in the width direction from the standing portion 6b, and a second non-standing portion 6a2 located outward in the longitudinal direction from the standing portion 6b. In the first non-standing portion 6a1, the leak barrier sheet 61 is fixed to at least adjacent members in the thickness direction by a plurality of leak barrier first fixing portions aa. In the second non-standing portion 6a2, the leak barrier sheet 61 is fixed to at least adjacent members in the thickness direction by a plurality of leak barrier second fixing portions bb. In this embodiment, the leak barrier first fixing portions aa and the leak barrier second fixing portions bb are joined by welding. That is, in this embodiment, the joining regions s1 and s2 (the first non-standing portion 6a1 and the second non-standing portion 6a2) are each joined by welding. Note that the joining of the leak barrier sheet 61 to adjacent members in the thickness direction in the joining regions s1 and s2 is not limited to welding. For example, ultrasonic joining or joining with an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive may also be used.

[0047] A pair of longitudinally stretchable leg elastic members LG (e.g., rubber threads) are provided on both widthwise sides of the diaper 1, primarily in the crotch region 1C, so as to conform to the wearer's legs. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1 , in the unfolded and stretched state, the leg elastic members LG are provided widthwise outward of the leakage barrier elastic members 62. The leg elastic members LG are fixed in a longitudinally stretched state to the non-skin-facing side of the leakage barrier wall 6. Contraction of the leg elastic members LG forms so-called leg gathers, which allow the widthwise sides of the diaper 1 to fit snugly around the wearer's legs when worn, thereby preventing leakage of body waste.

[0048] The number, shape, material, etc. of the leakage preventing wall elastic members 62 and the leg opening elastic members LG are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1 etc. For example, the number of each of the leakage preventing wall elastic members 62 and the leg opening elastic members LG can be set as desired, and they may be made of thread-like polyurethane elastic fibers, an elastic film formed by melting a thermoplastic elastomer resin into a film, or an elastic nonwoven fabric made of elastic fibers.

[0049] Dorsal side flaps 10A are fixed to each end of the back waistband 1A in the width direction. The back side flaps 10A extend outward in the width direction and have engagement portions 11A. The back side flaps 10A can be, for example, a sheet material such as nonwoven fabric. The engagement portions 11A (e.g., male components of a hook-and-loop fastener) are fixed to the skin-facing side of the tip of the back side flap 10A extending outward in the width direction from the back waistband 1A.

[0050] Belly-side side flaps 10B are fixed to each end of the ventral-side waistband portion 1B in the width direction. The ventral-side side flaps 10B extend outward in the width direction. Examples of the ventral-side side flaps 10B include sheet members made of nonwoven fabric, polyethylene, or the like.

[0051] The target member 15 is a target tape that engages with the engaging portion 11A. The target member 15 for engaging the engaging portion 11A is provided on the non-skin side of the central portion in the width direction of the ventral waistline portion 1B. The target member 15 has a substantially rectangular shape and is formed of, for example, nonwoven fabric.

[0052] To put the diaper 1 on a wearer (infant), the person putting the diaper 1 on the wearer first places the unfolded diaper 1 under the wearer's buttocks with the back edge of the diaper 1 tucked from the crotch to the head of the wearer while the wearer is lying on their back. Next, the diaper 1 is folded in half at approximately the longitudinal center (around the centerline CL) of the diaper 1, with the skin-side surface facing inward, so that the ventral waistline section 1B faces the back waistline section 1A, and the ventral waistline section 1B is placed against the wearer's abdomen. Then, the widthwise ends of the pair of back waistline sections 1A are folded inward, and the engaging portions 11A of the back side flaps 10A are engaged with the target members 15 on the non-skin-side surfaces of the ventral waistline sections 1B.

[0053] The engaging portion 11A and the target member 15 of the back-side side flap 10A are not limited to this. For example, the target member 15 may not be provided, and the engaging portion 11A may be directly engaged with the exterior sheet 5 of the ventral waistline portion 1B, or an adhesive tape may be provided on the back-side side flap 10A instead of the engaging portion 11A.

[0054] <<<Regarding the excrement storage space>>> The diaper 1 has a space-forming sheet portion 9 at the end on the back side in the longitudinal direction for forming the excrement storage space P. The excrement storage space P is a so-called pocket that can store excrement such as feces and urine. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the excrement storage space P.

[0055] Conventionally, when a wearer is lying down, particularly when the wearer is lying on their back, excrement such as feces and urine may run down the hollow of the wearer's buttocks, flowing toward the back side and potentially leaking out from the back side of the diaper 1. In response to this, by providing an excrement storage space P at the end of the back side of the diaper 1 so that excrement can be stored in the excrement storage space P, the risk of excrement leaking out from the back side of the diaper 1 can be reduced.

[0056] The space-forming sheet portion 9 is provided closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion 3. In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is provided closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion 3 and closer to the skin than the leakage-barrier wall portion 6. As shown in Fig. 1 and other figures, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is provided at the end portion on the back side in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is provided above (on the back side of) the back side end of the absorbent core 2 in the longitudinal direction, and extends to the same position as the back side end of the diaper 1. Note that the upper end (back side end) of the space-forming sheet portion 9 does not necessarily have to be the same as the upper end (back side end) of the diaper 1. The space-forming sheet portion 9 may be located on the back side of the longitudinal center line CL of the diaper 1, and the upper end of the space-forming sheet portion 9 may coincide with the back end of the diaper 1, or may be located on the ventral side (lower side, crotch side) of the back end of the diaper 1, with a gap between the back end of the space-forming sheet portion 9 and the back end of the diaper 1.

[0057] The space-forming sheet portion 9 is stretchable in the width direction. The space-forming sheet portion 9 of this embodiment is a substantially rectangular sheet member, with multiple sheets stacked in the thickness direction. Specifically, from the skin side, a nonwoven fabric sheet, a stretchable sheet, and a nonwoven fabric sheet are stacked, and the multiple components are integrated using a predetermined fixing means such as the compression portion 9a to form a sheet-like component. Examples of nonwoven fabric sheets include air-through nonwoven fabrics and spunbonded nonwoven fabrics. Examples of stretchable sheets include stretchable fibrous nonwoven fabrics manufactured by various known manufacturing methods, such as spunbonded nonwoven fabrics, air-through nonwoven fabrics, and needle-punched nonwoven fabrics made from elastic fibers made from thermoplastic elastomers, rubber, etc., as well as stretchable films made from polyethylene (PE), polystyrene-based elastomers (SIS, SBS-based), etc. It is preferable that at least some of the multiple components constituting the space-forming sheet portion 9 are liquid-impermeable or hydrophobic sheets. This makes it easier for excrement to remain inside the space-forming sheet portion 9 when it is absorbed into the excrement storage space P. However, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is not limited to this configuration. The sheet-like member that constitutes the space-forming sheet portion 9 may be composed of only one stretchable sheet, a combination of a stretchable sheet and one or three or more nonwoven fabric sheets, or a sheet-like member that is made stretchable by sandwiching a stretchable member such as rubber thread that is stretchable in the width direction between multiple nonwoven fabric sheets. Furthermore, when the space-forming sheet portion 9 is composed of multiple sheet-like members, the method is not limited to one in which the multiple sheet-like members are fixed together with the compression portion 9a, and the multiple sheet-like members may be fixed together by any method, such as welding or using an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive.

[0058] In a space-forming sheet portion 9 formed by stacking multiple sheets (e.g., nonwoven fabric sheets, stretchable sheets, and nonwoven fabric sheets) in the thickness direction, when the space-forming sheet portion 9 has multiple compressed portions 9a, it is preferable that the compressed portions 9a are arranged intermittently in both the longitudinal and width directions. By arranging the compressed portions 9a that secure the multiple sheets of the space-forming sheet portion 9 intermittently in the longitudinal and width directions, it is possible to secure the multiple sheets that make up the space-forming sheet portion 9 while reducing the risk of the space-forming sheet portion 9 becoming excessively hard. Furthermore, regardless of which compressed portion 9a is designated as a specific compressed portion 9ax, it is more preferable that, among the compressed portions 9a that are closest in the longitudinal direction to the specific compressed portion 9ax, the longitudinal position of the center of the adjacent compressed portion 9an that is closest in the width direction is different from the longitudinal position of the center of the specific compressed portion 9ax. Specifically, as shown enlarged in Figure 5, when one of the compressed portions 9a is designated as a specific compressed portion 9ax, it is preferable that the longitudinal positions of the centers cn1, cn2 of the adjacent compressed portions 9an1, 9an2 that are closest in the width direction among the compressed portions 9a that are closest in the longitudinal direction to the specific compressed portion 9ax are different from the longitudinal position of the center cx of the specific compressed portion 9ax. This makes it easier to reduce the risk of the space forming sheet portion 9 curling up from the crotch side (lower side) toward the back side (upper side) compared to when the longitudinal position of the center cx of the specific compressed portion 9ax and the longitudinal positions of the centers cn1, cn2 of the adjacent compressed portions 9an1, 9an2 are located at the same position and a plurality of compressed portions 9a are arranged linearly along the width direction.

[0059] The back end Q in the longitudinal direction and both widthwise side ends R of the space forming sheet portion 9 are fixed to at least members adjacent to the space forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction, and the ventral end of the space forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction can form an entrance to the excrement collection space P. In other words, the excrement collection space P formed by the approximately rectangular space forming sheet portion 9 becomes a bag-like pocket when the both widthwise sides and three back sides are closed and the ventral side (crotch side) in the longitudinal direction is left open. Furthermore, because the space forming sheet portion 9 is stretchable in the width direction, contraction of the space forming sheet portion 9 in the width direction during wear makes it easier to open the entrance to the excrement collection space P, making it easier to collect excrement in the excrement collection space P.

[0060] In Figure 6, at the back end Q of the space-forming sheet portion 9, the area where the space-forming sheet portion 9 is fixed to adjacent members in the thickness direction (central sheet 31, leak-proof wall sheet 61) with adhesive or the like is shown by a diagonal line slanting downward to the left, and the area where the space-forming sheet portion 9 is not fixed to adjacent members in the thickness direction and is a bag-shaped space (excrement storage space P) is shown by a diagonal line slanting downward to the right.

[0061] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the rear end Q of the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the skin-side sheet portion 3 and the leak-barrier sheet 61, which are adjacent members in the thickness direction. The end Q of the diaper 1 is fixed with an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive. The adhesive at the rear end Q of the space-forming sheet portion 9 may be applied without gaps over the entire area of ​​the end Q, or may be applied in any application pattern such as an Ω pattern or a spiral pattern. Note that the fixation of the rear end Q of the space-forming sheet portion 9 is not limited to using an adhesive. For example, the rear end Q may be fixed to a member adjacent to the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction or to one or more members overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction by compression (crimping) or welding.

[0062] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the side edges R, R in the width direction of the space-forming sheet portion 9 are joined to multiple members overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction by multiple welds r. The welds r are intended to secure the space-forming sheet portion 9 to the members overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the welds r are welds provided in the portions overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 when viewed in the thickness direction of the diaper 1. Welded portions outside the space-forming sheet portion 9 are not considered to be "welded portions r" for securing the space-forming sheet portion 9 to the members overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, the welds r are substantially circular, and weld-join the space-forming sheet portion 9, the leak-barrier wall sheet 61, the leak-barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5. For convenience, the welds r are shown solid in Figures 5 and 6 .

[0063] The region of the side edge R in the width direction where the multiple welded portions r are provided is also referred to as the welded region R. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the welded region R. For convenience, Fig. 7A shows portion X in Fig. 1, with the compressed portions 9a of the space forming sheet portion 9 and the like omitted. Fig. 7B is an enlarged view of portion Y in Fig. 7A.

[0064] The region of the side edge R in the width direction where multiple welded portions r are provided is also referred to as the welded region R. The welded region R is the region where the space-forming sheet portion 9 is fixed to the diaper 1, and refers to the region where the space-forming sheet portion 9 and a member overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction are fixed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A and other figures, the welded region R is provided in the region overlapping the space-forming sheet portion 9 when viewed in the thickness direction of the diaper 1. The portion of the diaper 1 outside the space-forming sheet portion 9 where the member is welded in the thickness direction does not fall under the welded region R. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the welded region R. For convenience, FIG. 7A shows portion X in FIG. 1, with the compressed portions 9a and the like of the space-forming sheet portion 9 omitted. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of portion Y in FIG. 7A. As shown in FIG. 7A and other figures, the welded region R in this embodiment is rectangular, and multiple welded portions r are provided throughout substantially the entire rectangular welded region R. The welded region R can be set as follows. First, as shown in Fig. 7B , when viewing the diaper 1 in the thickness direction, in the region where the space-forming sheet portion 9 overlaps with the member on the non-skin side of the space-forming sheet portion 9, the welded region R is defined as a rectangular region surrounded by an imaginary line La extending along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end ra of the welded portion r provided on the width-most side, an imaginary line Lb extending along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end rb of the welded portion r provided on the other width-most side, an imaginary line Lc extending along the width direction at the dorsal-side end rc of the welded portion r provided on the dorsal-side (upper) side in the longitudinal direction, and an imaginary line Ld extending along the width direction at the longitudinal-most end rd of the welded portion r provided on the ventral-side (lower) side in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the widthwise most end ra of the welded portion r provided on the widthwise most side, the dorsal most end rc of the welded portion r provided on the longitudinal most back side, and the longitudinal most ventral most end rd of the welded portion r provided on the longitudinal most ventral side (lower side) are respectively the widthwise most end, the dorsal most end, and the ventral most end in the longitudinal direction of the space forming sheet portion 9, and therefore the imaginary straight lines La, Lc, and Ld are respectively the widthwise most end, the dorsal most end, and the ventral most end in the longitudinal direction of the space forming sheet portion 9. In Figure 7B, the welded region R is shown by hatching.

[0065] The welded portion r that fixes the space forming sheet portion 9 to a plurality of members (such as the side sheet 32) is not limited to this. The shape of the welded portion r is not limited to a circle, and may be any shape such as an oval, a rectangle, or a polygon.

[0066] The arrangement of the multiple welded portions r can be set arbitrarily. The multiple welded portions r may be arranged regularly and uniformly, or irregularly and non-uniformly. For example, if the welded portions r are not clearly provided over the entire rectangular area, the welded region R can be set to the following range. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the welded region R. Figure 8A shows a portion corresponding to portion X in Figure 1, and differs from the diaper 1 of this embodiment in the arrangement of the welded portions r for fixing the space-forming sheet portion 9. Figure 8B is an enlarged view of portion Z in Figure 8A.

[0067] In the modified example shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the welded portions r are irregularly arranged. Even in such a case, as shown in Figure 8B, when viewed in the thickness direction of the diaper 1, in the region where the space-forming sheet portion 9 overlaps with the member on the non-skin side of the space-forming sheet portion 9, an imaginary line La is defined along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end ra of the welded portion r provided on the width-most side, an imaginary line Lb is defined along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end rb of the welded portion r provided on the width-most side, an imaginary line Lc is defined along the width direction at the dorsal-most end rc of the welded portion r provided on the dorsal-most (upper) side in the longitudinal direction, and an imaginary line Ld is defined along the width direction at the longitudinal-most end rd of the welded portion r provided on the ventral-most (lower) side in the longitudinal direction. The rectangular region enclosed by the imaginary lines La, Lb, Lc, and Ld is defined as the welded region R. In FIG. 8B, the welded region R is indicated by hatching.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 8A , when the welded portions r are irregularly arranged and the areas where the welded portions r are arranged are uneven, the welded region R may be set as follows. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of portion Z in Fig. 8A , illustrating a modified example of the welded region R. In Fig. 9 , the welded region R is indicated by hatching. First, as shown in Fig. 9 , an imaginary line La is defined along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end ra of the welded portion r provided on the width-most side, an imaginary line Lb is defined along the longitudinal direction at the width-most end rb of the welded portion r provided on the other width-most side, an imaginary line Lc is defined along the width direction at the dorsal-most end rc of the welded portion r provided on the dorsal-most (upper) side in the longitudinal direction, and an imaginary line Ld is defined along the width direction at the longitudinal-most end rd of the welded portion r provided on the ventral-most (lower) side in the longitudinal direction. The area between adjacent imaginary lines La and Lb along the longitudinal direction is divided into four, and the area between adjacent imaginary lines Lc and Ld along the width direction is divided into four, thereby defining 16 regions. Of the regions surrounded by the imaginary lines La, Lb, Lc, and Ld, the defined region where the welded portion r exists may be defined as the welded region R.

[0069] Both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion 9 are joined at welded portions r (welded regions R) to multiple members that overlap the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction. At the welded portions r, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is joined to at least the members adjacent to it in the thickness direction. In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is joined to the leak-barrier sheet 61, side sheets 32, leak-barrier sheet 4, and outer sheet 5, all of which are adjacent to it in the thickness direction. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the welded joining of the skin-side sheet portion 3 and the space-forming sheet portion 9. For convenience, components such as the absorbent core 2 are omitted from Figure 10 , and the central sheet 31, which is located on the non-skin side of the leak-barrier wall sheet 61, is indicated by a solid line. The skin-side sheet portion 3 includes a central sheet 31 and a side sheet 32. At the welded portions r, the side sheets 32 of the skin-side sheet portion 3 are fixed to the space-forming sheet portion 9, but the central sheet 31 and the space-forming sheet portion 9 are not fixed to each other at the welded portions r. The space forming sheet portion 9 and the plurality of members welded and joined to the space forming sheet portion 9 are preferably made of a material that can be joined by welding, such as a thermoplastic resin.

[0070] It should be noted that the members that join and fix the space forming sheet portion 9 at the welding portion r are not limited to the side sheet 32, the leak barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5. The members that are welded and joined to the space forming sheet portion 9 may be composed of one or two of the leak barrier wall sheet 61, the leak barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5, and the side sheet 32, or may include other members other than the leak barrier sheet 61, the side sheet 32, the leak barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5.

[0071] The central sheet 31 of the skin-side sheet portion 3 is the component that contacts the wearer's skin when worn and is the component that first receives excrement excreted by the wearer. The central sheet 31 has an exposed region 3D of the skin-side sheet portion 3 that is exposed to the skin side. In Fig. 10, the exposed region 3D is indicated by diagonal lines slanting downward to the left. The exposed region 3D of the diaper 1 is a region that is widthwise inward of the leakage barrier walls 6 provided on both widthwise sides and is located on the ventral side of the lower end (ventral end) of the space-forming sheet portion 9.

[0072] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the central sheet 31 has a plurality of openings 31h, and the generally circular openings 31h are arranged in a staggered pattern across the entire area of ​​the central sheet 31. On the other hand, the side sheets 32 do not have any openings that penetrate through in the thickness direction. The plurality of openings 31h in the central sheet 31 are also arranged in the exposed region 3D of the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31) that is exposed to the skin side.

[0073] As described above, the diaper 1 has openings 31h penetrating in the thickness direction in the exposed region 3D (center sheet 31), which improve absorption of body waste in the thickness direction, while the space-forming sheet portion 9 is secured by multiple welded portions r, thereby reducing leakage of body waste. However, in the past, the multiple welded portions r used to secure the space-forming sheet portion 9 appeared to the wearer as openings penetrating in the thickness direction, which could lead to the wearer mistaking the welded portions r of the space-forming sheet portion 9 (excrement storage space P) for leakage of body waste. In particular, the multiple openings 31h provided in the skin-side sheet portion 3 including the exposed region 3D could lead to the wearer mistaking the welded portions r for openings penetrating in the thickness direction.

[0074] In contrast, the diaper 1 has openings 31h in the exposed region 3D of the skin-side sheet portion 3, but the average area of ​​the welded portions r is larger than the average area of ​​the openings 31h in the exposed region 3D. Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of one side in the width direction in Fig. 5. The presence of multiple openings 31h in the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31) facilitates the movement of excrement from the central sheet 31 to the non-skin side during wear, thereby improving excrement absorption during wear. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 10, when a wearer or the like looks at the skin-side side of the diaper 1, they recognize the presence of the openings 31h in the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31), which easily gives the impression of improved excrement absorption and softness during wear. 11 and other figures, the average area of ​​the welded portions r is larger than the average area of ​​the openings 31h, which makes it easier to see the inside of the welded portions r than when the average area of ​​the welded portions r is smaller than the average area of ​​the openings 31h, making it easier for the wearer to recognize that the welded portions r do not penetrate in the thickness direction. This helps to reduce the risk of the wearer mistaking the welded portions r for bodily waste leakage.

[0075] The average area of ​​the welded portions r and the average area of ​​the openings 31h can be calculated using well-known methods. For example, the average area of ​​all welded portions r in the welded region R and the average area of ​​all openings 31h in the exposed region 3D may be calculated. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7B , an arbitrary region at an arbitrary position in the welded region R may be extracted, the areas of a predetermined number (e.g., 10) of welded portions r in this region may be measured to calculate the average area, and as shown in FIG. 10 , an arbitrary region at an arbitrary position in the exposed region 3D may be measured to calculate the average area. In this case, it is sufficient that the arbitrary region in the welded region R and the exposed region 3D each have a predetermined number of welded portions r and openings 31h, and the size (area) of the range may differ between the welded region R and the exposed region 3D. However, each arbitrary region is defined as a range that includes the entire shapes of the predetermined number of welded portions r and the entire shapes of the openings 31h. In this embodiment, the average area of ​​the welded portions r was measured by aligning the center of the square region to be measured with the center of the welded region R, dividing the square region into areas including 10 full-sized welded portions r, and measuring the area of ​​each welded portion r within the divided area. The average area of ​​the openings 31h was measured by aligning the center of the square region to be measured with the center of the exposed region 3D, dividing the square region into areas including 10 full-sized openings 31h, and measuring the area of ​​each opening 31h within the divided area. The average areas were then calculated from the resulting areas. Examples of comparison of the average areas include visual confirmation and a method of calculating the areas of the sheets 31 and 32 and the openings provided in each sheet 31 and 32 using an area calculation program. Note that similar methods can be used not only for the average areas of the welded portions r and the openings 31h, but also for calculating and comparing the average areas described below.

[0076] When the diaper 1 has a welding region R in which a plurality of welding portions r are provided on both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion 9, it is preferable that the total area of ​​the plurality of openings 31h per unit area in the exposed region 3D of the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31) is larger than the total area of ​​the plurality of welding portions r per unit area in the welding region R. The "total area of ​​openings per unit area" is the value obtained by dividing the total area of ​​the openings 31h provided in the exposed region 3D by the area of ​​the exposed region 3D (total area of ​​openings 31h / area of ​​exposed region 3D), and the "total area of ​​welding portions r per unit area" is the value obtained by dividing the total area of ​​the welding portions r provided in the welding region R by the area of ​​the welding region R (total area of ​​welding portions r / area of ​​welding region R).

[0077] In this way, by making the total area of ​​the openings 31h per unit area in the exposed region 3D larger than the total area of ​​the welded portions r per unit area in the welded region R, the area occupied by the welded portions r in the welded region R can be made smaller than when the total area of ​​the openings 31h per unit area in the exposed region 3D is equal to or smaller than the total area of ​​the welded portions r per unit area in the welded region R. This makes the welded portions r less visible to the wearer and less likely to draw attention to them. Therefore, it becomes more difficult for the wearer to recognize the existence of the welded portions r, making it less likely that they will mistakenly believe that the welded portions r penetrate in the thickness direction and that excrement may leak through the welded portions r.

[0078] Furthermore, when the diaper 1 has a welded region R in which a plurality of welded portions r are provided on both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion 9, it is preferable that the proportion of the welded portions r in the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction be 90% or more of the longitudinal length LR of the welded region R (see FIGS. 5 and 11 ). The longitudinal length LR of the welded region R is the length between an imaginary straight line Lc extending along the width direction at the dorsal-side end rc of the dorsal-side (upper) welded portion r in the longitudinal direction and an imaginary straight line Ld extending along the width direction at the ventral-side (lower) end rd of the ventral-side (lower) welded portion r in the longitudinal direction.

[0079] The welded portions r on both sides of the space forming sheet portion 9 are portions that fix the space forming sheet portion 9 to adjacent members in the thickness direction and form the side walls of the excrement collection space P. As the proportion of the welded portions r in the space forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction decreases, gaps are more likely to occur in the width direction at the side ends of the space forming sheet portion 9, and excrement in the excrement collection space P may leak through the gaps in the width direction. In contrast, by setting the proportion of the welded portions r in the space forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction to 90% or more of the longitudinal length LR of the welded region R, the risk of excrement leaking outward from the widthwise ends of the welded region R (space forming sheet portion 9) can be reduced. In addition, when the wearer or the like can see the welding portions r provided on both sides of the space forming sheet portion 9 in the longitudinal direction, which are provided to extend over 90% or more of the longitudinal length LR of the welding region R, the wearer or the like is more likely to get the impression that the diaper is designed to prevent excrement contained in the excrement storage space P from leaking out of the excrement storage space P.

[0080] As described above, the space forming sheet portion 9 has a welding region R in which a plurality of welding portions r are provided on both widthwise sides. Regarding the exposed region 3D and the welding region R, it is preferable that the plurality of openings 31h are evenly arranged in the longitudinal and width directions in the exposed region 3D, and the plurality of welding portions r are unevenly arranged in the longitudinal and width directions in the welding region R. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 , the plurality of openings 31h are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal and width directions in the exposed region 3D, while the plurality of welding portions r are not arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal and width directions in the welding region R, but are arranged with some portions having different intervals. In other words, the arrangement pattern of the openings 31h in the exposed region 3D is different from the arrangement pattern of the welding portions r in the welding region R. The presence of such exposed region 3D and welded region R makes it easier for the wearer to recognize that the exposed region 3D, which has evenly spaced openings 31h, is a diaper with improved absorbency due to the presence of multiple openings 31h. On the other hand, the presence of multiple welded regions r in the welded region R, which are arranged in a different arrangement and pattern from the multiple openings 31h, makes it easier for the wearer to recognize that the multiple welded regions r are different or distinct from the openings 31h, and makes it easier for the wearer to recognize that the welded regions r are portions that do not penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0081] As described above, the diaper 1 has a pair of leakage preventing wall portions 6 on both sides in the width direction. Each leakage preventing wall portion 6 includes a leakage preventing wall sheet 61, a leakage preventing wall elastic member 62 that stretches in the front-to-rear direction, an upstanding portion 6b that can stand up on the skin side, and a non-upstanding portion 6a that cannot stand up. The non-upstanding portion 6a includes a first non-upstanding portion 6a1 located outward in the width direction from the upstanding portion 6b, and a second non-upstanding portion 6a2 located outward in the front-to-rear direction from the upstanding portion 6b. At the second non-upstanding portion 6a2, the leakage preventing wall sheet 61 is fixed to adjacent members at least in the thickness direction by a plurality of leakage preventing wall second fixing portions bb, and the leakage preventing wall second fixing portions bb are joined by welding. When such a leakage preventing wall portion 6 is provided, at least a portion of the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb is preferably provided between the opening 31h and the plurality of welded portions r in the width direction, and the average area of ​​the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb is preferably larger than the average area of ​​the welded portions r. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5 , for example, on one side in the width direction, the openings 31h are provided in a staggered pattern over substantially the entire area, and when viewed in the thickness direction, openings 31h are provided on both sides of the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb in the width direction, and the openings 31h have portions overlapping the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb. As shown in Figs. 5 and 11 , on one side in the width direction, the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb is provided on one side of the opening 31h in the width direction, and the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion bb is provided on the other side of the welded portions r in the width direction. In the case where the diaper 1 has such second leak-barrier fixing portions bb, the second leak-barrier fixing portions bb having an average area larger than the average area of ​​the openings 31h and the average area of ​​the welded portions r make it easier for the wearer to notice the second leak-barrier fixing portions bb rather than the welded portions r, thereby reducing the likelihood that the wearer will notice the welded portions r. In addition, since the welded portions r do not penetrate the diaper 1 in the thickness direction, it is easier to reduce the risk that the wearer will mistakenly believe that excrement may leak through the welded portions r.

[0082] Furthermore, the leak preventing wall section 6 includes a leak preventing wall sheet 61, a leak preventing wall elastic member 62 that stretches in the front-to-rear direction, standing portions 6b that can stand on the skin side, and non-standing portions 6a that cannot stand. The non-standing portions 6a include first non-standing portions 6a1 that are located outboard of the standing portions 6b in the width direction, and second non-standing portions 6a2 that are located outboard of the standing portions 6b in the front-to-rear direction. In the first non-standing portions 6a1, the leak preventing wall sheet 61 is fixed to adjacent members at least in the thickness direction by a plurality of first leak preventing wall fixing portions aa. The first leak preventing wall fixing portions aa are joined by welding. When such a leak preventing wall section 6 is provided, it is preferable that the average area of ​​the first leak preventing wall fixing portions aa is larger than the average area of ​​the welded portions r in the longitudinal region where the first leak preventing wall fixing portions aa and the welded region R overlap. 5 and 11 , for example, on one side in the width direction, the joining region s1 (leakage barrier wall first fixed portion aa) is provided continuously from the longitudinal end (top end) of the diaper 1 on the back side across the crotch area (the longitudinal center C-C) to the longitudinal end (top end) on the belly side. The welded region R is provided continuously from the longitudinal end (top end) of the space forming sheet portion 9 to the bottom end of the space forming sheet portion 9. Therefore, the overlapping portion of the leakage barrier wall first fixed portion aa and the welded region R is the portion of the space forming sheet portion 9 with a length LR in the longitudinal direction. In this overlapping portion of the leakage barrier wall first fixed portion aa and the welded region R in the longitudinal direction, the average area of ​​the leakage barrier wall first fixed portion aa is larger than the average area of ​​the welded region r. When the diaper 1 has such a first fixed portion aa of the leakage preventing wall, the first fixed portion aa having an average area larger than the average area of ​​the openings 31h and the average area of ​​the welded portion r makes it easier for the wearer to pay attention to the first fixed portion aa of the leakage preventing wall rather than the welded portion r, thereby reducing the likelihood that the wearer will notice the welded portion r. Furthermore, since the welded portion r does not penetrate the diaper 1 in the thickness direction, it is easier to reduce the risk of the wearer mistaking the welded portion r for bodily waste leakage.

[0083] As described above, the space-forming sheet portion 9 preferably has multiple sheets stacked in the thickness direction and multiple compressed portions 9a formed by compressing the multiple sheets in the thickness direction. When the space-forming sheet portion 9 has multiple compressed portions 9a, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11 , the average area of ​​the welded portions r is preferably larger than the average area of ​​the compressed portions 9a. By making the average area of ​​the welded portions r larger than the average area of ​​the compressed portions 9a, the bond between the space-forming sheet portion 9 and the overlapping members in the thickness direction at the welded portions r can be more firmly secured than when the average area of ​​the welded portions r is smaller than the average area of ​​the compressed portions 9a. This reduces the risk of excrement leaking from the excrement collection space P due to peeling or damage of the space-forming sheet portion 9. Furthermore, by visually recognizing the welded portions r having an average area larger than the compressed portions 9a, the wearer can more easily recognize that the space-forming sheet portion 9 of the diaper 1 is less likely to peel or break.

[0084] Furthermore, it is preferable that the skin side sheet portion 3 has a central sheet 31 and side sheets 32 that are different members from the central sheet 31. The widthwise ends of the central sheet 31 are fixed to the widthwise inner ends of the side sheets 32 by fixing portions 3f. The total area of ​​the openings 31h that penetrate the central sheet 31 in the thickness direction per unit area is greater than the total area of ​​the openings that penetrate the side sheets 32 in the thickness direction per unit area.

[0085] In the diaper 1 of this embodiment, the central sheet 31 has a plurality of openings 31h, with the generally circular openings 31h arranged in a staggered pattern across the entire area of ​​the central sheet 31. On the other hand, the side sheets 32 do not have any openings penetrating in the thickness direction. Therefore, it is clear that the total area of ​​the openings 31h penetrating in the thickness direction per unit area of ​​the central sheet 31 is greater than the total area of ​​the openings penetrating in the thickness direction per unit area of ​​the side sheets 32.

[0086] Both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion 9 are joined at welded portions r (welded regions R) to multiple components that overlap the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction. The "multiple components" joined to the space-forming sheet portion 9 at these welded portions r include the side sheets 32 but not the central sheet 31. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the welding of the skin-side sheet portion 3 and the space-forming sheet portion 9. In FIG. 10, components such as the absorbent body 2 are omitted for convenience, and the central sheet 31, which is located on the non-skin side of the leak-barrier sheet 61, is indicated by a solid line. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, the space-forming sheet portion 9 is joined to the leak-barrier sheet 61, the side sheets 32 of the skin-side sheet portion 3, the leak-barrier sheet 4, and the outer sheet 5 at the welded portions r (welded regions R). In other words, the "multiple components" in the diaper 1 are the leak-barrier wall sheet 61, the side sheets 32, the leak-barrier sheet 4, and the outer sheet 5. At this time, all of the welded portions r (welded regions R) are provided widthwise outward from the side edges of the central sheet 31, so that the central sheet 31 is not included in the "plurality of members" welded and joined to the space forming sheet portion 9. The space forming sheet portion 9 and the plurality of members welded and joined to the space forming sheet portion 9 are preferably made of a material that can be joined by welding, such as a thermoplastic resin.

[0087] The "plurality of components" is not limited to the side sheets 32, the leak barrier sheets 4, and the exterior sheet 5. Any configuration is acceptable as long as the components welded to the space forming sheet portion 9 do not include the central sheet 31, and the plurality of components may be composed of one or two of the leak barrier wall sheet 61, the leak barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5, and the side sheet 32, or may include other components in addition to the leak barrier sheet 61, the side sheet 32, the leak barrier sheet 4, and the exterior sheet 5.

[0088] The central sheet 31 of the skin-side sheet portion 3 is the component that contacts the wearer's skin when worn and is the component that first receives excrement excreted by the wearer. Therefore, when the total area of ​​the openings 31h per unit area in the central sheet 31 is larger than the total area of ​​the openings per unit area in the side sheets 32, the movement of excrement from the central sheet 31 to the non-skin side is facilitated more easily than when the total area of ​​the openings 31h per unit area in the central sheet 31 is smaller than the total area of ​​the openings per unit area in the side sheets 32, thereby improving the absorbency of excrement when worn. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, when a wearer or the like looks at the skin-side surface of the diaper 1, they are aware of the presence of the openings 31h in the central sheet 31, which makes them more likely to get the impression that the diaper 1 has better absorbency and a more comfortable feel when worn.

[0089] In welding, the larger the area of ​​the openings in each member, the more likely it is that the strength of the welding portion r will decrease. Therefore, as shown in Figures 4 and 10 , the multiple members welded to the space-forming sheet portion 9 at the welding portion r do not include a central sheet 31 with a large total opening area per unit area, but include side sheets 32 with a smaller total opening area per unit area than the central sheet 31. This makes it possible to improve the strength of the welding at the welding portion r compared to when the multiple members include the central sheet 31. This also reduces the risk of the space-forming sheet portion 9 becoming detached from the diaper 1.

[0090] This allows the diaper 1 to improve its excrement absorption ability while reducing the risk of the space-forming sheet portion 9 coming off from multiple components (leak-proof wall sheet 61, side sheet 32, leak-proof sheet 4, outer sheet 5) due to the improved bonding strength at the welded portion r, making it easier to retain excrement in the excrement storage space P and reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the diaper 1.

[0091] 11, the fixed portion 3f preferably includes a plurality of fixed welds f, and the average area of ​​the openings 31h of the fixed portions 3f that fix the widthwise end of the central sheet 31 to the widthwise inner end of the side sheet 32 ​​is preferably smaller than the average area of ​​the fixed welds f. The fixed welds f are portions where the central sheet 31 and the side sheet 32 ​​are welded together, and the fixed portion 3f is an area on one side of the widthwise center C-C, surrounded by an imaginary line extending along the longitudinal direction at the widthwise-most end of the fixed welds f located on the widthwise-most side of the plurality of fixed welds f, an imaginary line extending along the longitudinal direction at the widthwise-most end of the fixed welds f located on the other widthwise-most side, an imaginary line extending along the width direction at the dorsal-most end of the dorsal-most fixed welds f, and an imaginary line extending along the width direction at the ventral-most end of the ventral-most fixed welds f. By making the average area of ​​the openings 31h smaller than the average area of ​​the fixed welds f, the absorbency of body exudates when the diaper 1 is worn by the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31) is improved, and the wearer is more likely to feel that the absorbency of body exudates when the diaper 1 is worn is improved, compared to when the average area of ​​the openings 31h is equal to or larger than the average area of ​​the fixed welds f. Furthermore, by making the average area of ​​the fixed welds f larger than the average area of ​​the openings 31h, the strength of the attachment between the central sheet 31 and the side sheets 32 is more likely to be improved, compared to when the average area of ​​the fixed welds f is smaller than the average area of ​​the openings 31h. This reduces the risk of damage to the diaper 1 and reduces the risk of body exudates leaking.

[0092] The space-forming sheet portion 9 and the excrement collection space P of the diaper 1 may have the following features: The diaper 1 has, in a deployed and stretched state, longitudinal, width, and thickness directions that are perpendicular to one another, and includes a liquid-absorbent absorber 2 and a skin-side sheet portion 3 that is located closer to the skin than the absorber 2, the skin-side sheet portion 3 having a central sheet 31 and a pair of side sheets 32 that are sheet members different from the central sheet 31, the central sheet 31 being located in the widthwise center and having a portion that can contact the wearer's skin when worn, the pair of side sheets 32 being located on both widthwise edge portions, and the widthwise edge portions of the central sheet 31 having fixing portions fixed to the widthwise inner edge portions of the side sheets 32. The average density of the side sheets 32 may be higher than the average density of the central sheet 31. In this way, since the average density of the side sheets 32 of the diaper 1 is higher than that of the central sheet 31, the strength of the welded joint at the welded portion r can be improved more than if the average density of the side sheets 32 were lower than that of the central sheet, thereby reducing the risk of the space-forming sheet portion 9 at the welded portion r coming off from the multiple components and making it easier to retain excrement in the excrement storage space P.

[0093] The diaper 1 also has a pair of leakage preventing walls 6 on both sides in the width direction, each of which has a leakage preventing wall elastic member 62 that stretches in the longitudinal direction, a standing portion 6b that can stand on the skin side, and a non-standing portion 6a that cannot stand. The non-standing portion 6a has a first non-standing portion 6a1 and a second non-standing portion 6a2, with the first non-standing portion 6a1 being located outward in the width direction from the standing portion 6b, and the second non-standing portion 6a2 being located outward in the longitudinal direction from the standing portion 6b. On one side in the width direction, the other side edge of the welded portion r in the width direction may be located outward in the width direction from the side edge of one side in the width direction of the second non-standing portion 6a2. In this way, on one width side of the diaper 1, the side end on the other width side of the welded portion r is located widthwise outer than the side end on one width side of the second non-standing portion 6a2, which makes it easier to make the entrance to the excrement storage space P wider than if the side end on the other width side of the welded portion r was located widthwise inner than the side end on one width side of the second non-standing portion 6a2, making it easier to keep excrement within the excrement storage space P and reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the diaper 1.

[0094] The diaper 1 also has a pair of leakage preventing walls 6 on both sides in the width direction. Each leakage preventing wall 6 has a leakage preventing wall elastic member 62 that stretches in the longitudinal direction, a standing portion 6b that can stand up on the skin side, and a non-standing portion 6a that cannot stand up. The non-standing portion 6a has a first non-standing portion 6a1 and a second non-standing portion 6a2, with the first non-standing portion 6a1 being located outward in the width direction from the standing portion 6b, and the second non-standing portion 6a2 being located outward in the longitudinal direction from the standing portion 6b. On one side in the width direction, one side edge of the central sheet 31 in the width direction may be located outward in the width direction from the other side edge of the second non-standing portion 6a2 in the width direction. Generally, a sheet that feels comfortable against the skin is used for the central sheet. A diaper 1 having these characteristics can provide a wide area of ​​the skin-side sheet portion 3 (central sheet 31) that can come into contact with the wearer's skin, which makes it easier to improve the absorbency of excrement while also improving the feel against the skin when worn.

[0095] The diaper 1 also has a pair of leakage preventing walls 6 on both sides in the width direction, each of which has a leakage preventing wall elastic member 62 that stretches in the longitudinal direction, a standing portion 6b that can stand up on the skin side, and a non-standing portion 6a that cannot stand up. The non-standing portion 6a has a first non-standing portion 6a1 and a second non-standing portion 6a2, with the first non-standing portion 6a1 being located outward in the width direction from the standing portion 6b, and the second non-standing portion 6a2 being located outward in the longitudinal direction from the standing portion 6b. The diaper 1 may also have an overlapping portion in the thickness direction where the excrement collection space P, the second non-standing portion 6a2, and the fixing portion 3f overlap. In the diaper 1 having such characteristics, the second non-standing portion 6a2 and the fixed portion 3f are fixed with a fixing means such as an adhesive and therefore have higher rigidity than the surrounding area. Therefore, by having the second non-standing portion 6a2 and the fixed portion 3f that overlap with the excrement storage space P when viewed in the thickness direction, it becomes easier to maintain the shape of the excrement storage space P and to make it easier to widen the entrance to the excrement storage space P, making it easier to keep excrement within the excrement storage space P and reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the diaper 1.

[0096] Furthermore, when the absorbent body 2 of the diaper 1 includes an absorbent core 21 and a non-skin-side core wrap portion 22b covering the non-skin-side surface of the absorbent core 21, and a non-woven fabric sheet 8 is provided on the non-skin-side side of the non-skin-side core wrap portion 22b, the non-woven fabric sheet 8 may have a portion that overlaps with the excrement collection space P in the thickness direction. In a diaper 1 having such characteristics, the non-woven fabric sheet 8 facilitates increasing the rigidity of the excrement collection space P, making it easier to maintain the shape of the excrement collection space P and to provide a wider entrance to the excrement collection space P, making it easier to contain excrement within the excrement collection space P and reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the diaper 1.

[0097] Furthermore, the longitudinal rear edge of the nonwoven fabric sheet 8 of the diaper 1 may be located closer to the ventral side than the longitudinal rear edge of the diaper 1. In a diaper 1 having such a feature, the nonwoven fabric sheet 8 makes it easier to maintain the shape of the excrement collection space P and to provide a wide entrance to the excrement collection space P, while reducing the risk of the rear edge of the diaper 1 becoming stiff, thereby reducing discomfort when worn.

[0098] Furthermore, when the diaper 1 includes a nonwoven fabric sheet 8 on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 2, the welded portion r may be located widthwise outward of the nonwoven fabric sheet 8. In the diaper 1 having such a feature, the side edges of the nonwoven fabric sheet 8 are portions where the rigidity changes, making it easier to fold the diaper 1 along the longitudinal direction and open the entrance to the excrement collection space P.

[0099] The space-forming sheet portion 9 of the diaper 1 may have a welding region R on both widthwise sides thereof, with a plurality of welding portions r, and on one widthwise side, the outer widthwise edge of the side sheet 32 ​​may be located outward in the widthwise direction from the widthwise center of the welding region R. A diaper 1 having such a feature facilitates providing a wide overlapping region between the side sheet 32 ​​and the welding region R on one widthwise side, as viewed in the thickness direction, and facilitates improving the strength of the welding bond between the space-forming sheet portion 9 and multiple components, including the side sheet 32.

[0100] Furthermore, on one widthwise side of the diaper 1, the outer widthwise edge of the side sheet 32 ​​may be located widthwise outward of the outer widthwise edge of the welded region R. A diaper 1 having such a feature makes it easier to provide a wider overlapping region between the side sheet 32 ​​and the welded region R on one widthwise side as viewed in the thickness direction, thereby making it easier to further improve the strength of the welded joint between the space-forming sheet portion 9 and multiple components including the side sheet 32.

[0101] Alternatively, the diaper 1 may be a tape-type absorbent article having, in an unfolded and stretched state, longitudinal, width, and thickness directions which are perpendicular to one another, and comprising a liquid-absorbing absorber 2, a skin-side sheet portion 3 provided on the skin side of the absorber 2, and a leak-proof sheet 4 provided on the non-skin side of the absorber 2. The diaper 1 has a pair of side flaps 10A on both sides in the width direction, each of which has an engaging portion 11A that can engage with the non-skin side of the diaper 1. The diaper 1 has a space-forming sheet portion 9 for forming an excrement storage space P, which is provided on the skin side of the skin-side sheet portion 3 and at the end on the back side in the longitudinal direction, and the space-forming sheet portion 9 is stretchable in the width direction. Both widthwise sides of the space forming sheet portion 9 are joined at least to members adjacent to the space forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction at welded portions r, an end Q on the back side of the space forming sheet portion 9 is fixed to at least a member adjacent to the space forming sheet portion 9 in the thickness direction, and an end on the ventral side in the longitudinal direction of the space forming sheet portion 9 can form an entrance to the excrement storage space P. The leakproof sheet 4 has a pattern M printed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the side end of the leakproof sheet 4 in the widthwise direction, and when a position spaced a predetermined length from the lower end of the space forming sheet portion 9 toward the ventral side in the longitudinal direction is taken as the predetermined position, the pattern M is visible when viewed from the skin side, and at least a portion of the pattern M is provided outside the space forming sheet portion in the width direction, and may be provided between the upper end of the back side and the predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. A diaper 1 having such features allows the person putting the diaper 1 on a wearer to recognize the pattern M located outside the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the width direction and between the upper end of the back side and a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction, making it easier to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks in relation to the excrement collection space P, making it easier for the wearer to put the diaper 1 on properly and for excrement to be properly stored in the excrement collection space P when the diaper 1 is being worn.

[0102] The diaper 1 may also be provided with a pair of patterns M spaced apart in the width direction. A diaper 1 having such a feature makes it easier for the person putting the diaper on to recognize the patterns M and to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P, making it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and to properly contain excrement in the excrement collection space P when wearing the diaper 1.

[0103] Furthermore, the pair of patterns M on the diaper 1 may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the center in the width direction of the diaper 1. A diaper 1 having such characteristics makes it easier for the person putting on the diaper to recognize the pair of patterns M on both sides of the wearer's body and to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P, making it easier for the wearer to put on the diaper 1 properly and to properly contain excrement in the excrement collection space P when wearing the diaper 1.

[0104] The pair of patterns M of the diaper 1 may have a one-side pattern located on one widthwise side and a second-side pattern located on the other widthwise side, and both widthwise sides of the space-forming sheet portion 9 may each have a plurality of welded portions r, each of which may have a one-side inner welded portion located on the innermost widthwise side on one widthwise side and a second-side inner welded portion located on the innermost widthwise side on the other widthwise side, and the length between the inner widthwise end of the one-side pattern and the inner widthwise end of the second-side pattern may be longer than the length between the inner widthwise end of the one-side inner welded portion and the inner widthwise end of the second-side inner welded portion. In the diaper 1 having such characteristics, the length between the inner widthwise end of the one-side pattern and the inner widthwise end of the second-side pattern is longer than the length between the inner widthwise end of the one-side inner welded portion and the inner widthwise end of the second-side inner welded portion, so that at least a portion of the pattern M does not overlap with the excrement collection space P when viewed in the thickness direction. Therefore, when putting the diaper 1 on a wearer, even when the unfolded diaper 1 is placed under the wearer's buttocks, the person putting the diaper on can easily see the position of the pattern M, making it easier to recognize the position of the excrement collection space P from the pattern M and align the wearer's position with the excrement collection space P. Furthermore, even if excrement is collected in the excrement collection space P after wearing the diaper 1 and the color of the space-forming sheet portion 9 changes, this does not affect the visibility of the pattern M, making it easier for the wearer to recognize the position of the excrement collection space P when disposing of the diaper 1 and reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the excrement collection space P.

[0105] The pattern M of the diaper 1 may be visible from the non-skin side of the diaper 1. When the diaper 1 has such a feature, the wearer or the like can easily recognize the location of the excrement collection space P by viewing the pattern M from the non-skin side of the diaper 1 at the time of disposal, thereby reducing the risk of excrement leakage due to excessive force being applied to the area corresponding to the excrement collection space P when rolling or folding the diaper 1.

[0106] The width of the pattern M of the diaper 1 may be longer than the length of the pattern M of the diaper 1. The diaper 1 having such a feature makes it easier for the person putting it on to recognize the pattern M and the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P, making it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and properly contain excrement in the excrement collection space P when wearing the diaper 1.

[0107] Furthermore, the longitudinal center of the pattern M of the diaper 1 may be located closer to the ventral side than the longitudinal center of the space-forming sheet portion 9. The diaper 1 having such a feature allows the person putting it on to easily recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P by recognizing the pattern M, making it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and for excrement to be properly contained in the excrement collection space P when the diaper 1 is being worn.

[0108] Furthermore, the diaper 1 may have a longitudinal portion where the pattern M overlaps with the space-forming sheet portion 9. A diaper 1 having such a feature allows a person putting the diaper on to easily recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P by recognizing the pattern M, making it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and for excrement to be properly contained in the excrement collection space P when the diaper 1 is being worn.

[0109] Furthermore, the longitudinal length of the pattern M of the diaper 1 may be shorter than the longitudinal length of the space-forming sheet portion 9, and the longitudinal length of the pattern M may be shorter than half the longitudinal length of the space-forming sheet portion 9. A diaper 1 having such characteristics makes it easier for a person putting on the diaper to recognize that the pattern M and the excrement collection space P are different, and makes it easier to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P when putting on the diaper. This makes it easier for the wearer to put on the diaper 1 properly, and makes it easier for excrement to be properly contained in the excrement collection space P when putting on the diaper.

[0110] Furthermore, in the diaper 1, the pattern M does not have to overlap with the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the width direction. When a person putting on a diaper 1 having such a feature puts on a wearer, even when the unfolded diaper 1 is placed under the wearer's buttocks, the person putting on the diaper 1 can more easily see the position of the pattern M than when the pattern M overlaps with the space-forming sheet portion 9 in the width direction. This makes it easier to recognize the position of the excrement collection space P from the pattern M and align the wearer with the excrement collection space P. Furthermore, even if excrement is collected in the excrement collection space P after wearing and the color of the space-forming sheet portion 9 changes, this does not affect the visibility of the pattern M. Therefore, the wearer can easily recognize the position of the excrement collection space P when disposing of the diaper 1, thereby reducing the risk of excrement leaking from the excrement collection space P.

[0111] Furthermore, the diaper 1 may have a portion where the component closest to the skin (the leak barrier sheet 61) is joined to the leak barrier sheet 4 in a region overlapping the pattern M when viewed in the thickness direction. In the diaper 1 having such a feature, the leak barrier sheet 4 on which the pattern M is printed is joined to the component closest to the skin, thereby reducing the distance between the component closest to the skin and the pattern M and improving the visibility of the pattern M. This makes it easier for a person putting the diaper on to recognize the pattern M when looking at the skin side of the diaper 1 and to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P. This makes it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and to properly contain excrement in the excrement collection space P when the diaper 1 is being worn.

[0112] The diaper 1 may also have a portion in the longitudinal direction where the pattern M overlaps with the engaging portion 11A. The diaper 1 having such a feature makes it easier for the wearer to see the pattern M when operating the engaging portion 11A to put on the diaper 1, and to recognize the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P. This makes it easier for the wearer to put on the diaper 1 properly, and makes it easier for excrement to be properly contained in the excrement collection space P when the diaper 1 is being worn.

[0113] Furthermore, the back side flaps (side flaps) 10A of the diaper 1 may be located closer to the skin than the leak-proof sheet 4, and the pattern M may overlap the back side flaps (side flaps) 10A in the thickness direction. A diaper 1 having such a feature can reduce the risk of the pattern M being conspicuous when worn, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of the diaper 1.

[0114] Furthermore, the space-forming sheet portion 9 of the diaper 1 may be colored, or the color of the space-forming sheet portion 9 may be different from the color of the skin-side sheet portion 3 (center sheet 31). The diaper 1 having these characteristics makes it easier for the person putting it on to recognize the position of the excrement collection space P and the position of the wearer's buttocks relative to the excrement collection space P, making it easier for the wearer to properly put on the diaper 1 and to properly contain excrement in the excrement collection space P when wearing the diaper 1.

[0115] ===Other Embodiments===The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0116] In the above-described embodiment, the excrement collection space P is provided by the space-forming sheet portion 9 at the back end of the diaper 1, but an excrement collection space may also be provided at the ventral end of the diaper 1 by providing a space-forming sheet portion (not shown) similar to that at the back end. By providing an excrement collection space at the ventral end of the diaper 1, the risk of excrement leaking from the ventral end can be reduced not only when the wearer of the diaper 1 is lying on their back but also when they are lying face down.

[0117] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Diaper (tape-type disposable diaper, absorbent article), 1A Back waist portion, 1B Ventral waist portion, 1C Crotch portion, 2 Absorbent body, 21 Absorbent core, 22 Core wrap sheet, 22a Skin-side core wrap portion, 22b Non-skin-side core wrap portion (core wrap sheet), 3 Skin-side sheet portion, 31 Central sheet, 31h Opening, 32 Side sheet, 3D Exposed region, 3f Fixing portion, 4 Leak-barrier sheet, 5 Outer sheet, 6 Leak-barrier wall portion, 6a Non-standing portion, 6a1 First non-standing portion, 6a2 Second non-standing portion, 6b Standing portion, 61 Leak-barrier wall sheet (leak-barrier wall sheet portion), 62 Leak-barrier wall elastic member, 7 Second sheet, 8 Nonwoven fabric sheet, 9 Space-forming sheet portion, 9a Compression portion, 10A: Dorsal side flap, 10B: Ventral side flap, 11A: Engagement portion, 15: Target member, aa: First fixing portion of leak-proof wall, bb: Second fixing portion of leak-proof wall, r: Welded portion, LG: Elastic member around legs, P: Excrement storage space, Q: Dorsal end portion, R: Welded region, side end portion

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising: a liquid-absorbing absorbent body having longitudinal, width, and thickness directions that are perpendicular to one another in an unfolded and extended state; and a skin-side sheet portion that is located closer to the skin than the absorbent body and has a plurality of openings that penetrate in the thickness direction, wherein the skin-side sheet portion is located at least in the center in the width direction and has a portion that can come into contact with the wearer's skin when worn; a space-forming sheet portion for forming an excrement storage space that is located closer to the skin than the skin-side sheet portion and at an end on the back side in the longitudinal direction, the space-forming sheet portion being stretchable in the width direction; both side ends in the width direction of the space-forming sheet portion being joined to members that overlap with the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction by a plurality of welding portions; the end on the back side of the space-forming sheet portion being fixed to at least a member adjacent to the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction; and a ventral end of the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction that can form an entrance to the excrement storage space, The absorbent article, wherein the average area of ​​the welded portions is larger than the average area of ​​the openings in the exposed region of the skin side sheet portion that is exposed to the skin side.

2. An absorbent article as described in claim 1, wherein the space-forming sheet portion has a welding region on both sides in the width direction, in which the plurality of welding portions are provided, and the total area of ​​the plurality of openings per unit area in the exposed region is greater than the total area of ​​the plurality of welding portions per unit area in the welding region.

3. An absorbent article as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the space-forming sheet portion has a welding area in which the plurality of welding portions are provided on both sides in the width direction, and the proportion of the welding portions in the space-forming sheet portion in the longitudinal direction is 90% or more of the longitudinal length of the welding area.

4. An absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a pair of leakage preventing wall portions on both sides in the width direction, the leakage preventing wall portions comprising a leakage preventing wall sheet portion along the longitudinal direction, a leakage preventing wall elastic member stretching in the longitudinal direction, a standing portion that can stand on the skin side, and a non-standing portion that cannot stand, the non-standing portion comprising a first non-standing portion and a second non-standing portion, the first non-standing portion being provided outboard of the standing portion in the width direction, the second non-standing portion being provided outboard of the standing portion in the longitudinal direction, the second non-standing portion being fixed to a member adjacent to the leakage preventing wall sheet portion in the thickness direction by a leakage preventing wall second fixing portion, the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion being joined by welding, and at least a part of the leakage preventing wall second fixing portion being provided between the opening and the plurality of welded portions in the width direction, An absorbent article characterized in that the average area of ​​the second fixing portion of the leakage barrier is larger than the average area of ​​the welded portion.

5. An absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the space-forming sheet portion has a welded region on both sides in the width direction where the plurality of welded portions are provided, and a pair of leakage preventing wall portions on both sides in the width direction, the leakage preventing wall portions having a leakage preventing wall sheet portion along the longitudinal direction, a leakage preventing wall elastic member that stretches in the longitudinal direction, a standing portion that can stand on the skin side, and a non-standing portion that cannot stand, the non-standing portion having a first non-standing portion and a second non-standing portion, the first non-standing portion being provided on the outside of the standing portion in the width direction, and the second non-standing portion being provided on the outside of the standing portion in the longitudinal direction, the first non-standing portion being fixed to a member adjacent to the leakage preventing wall sheet portion in the thickness direction by a leakage preventing wall first fixing portion, and the leakage preventing wall first fixing portion being joined by welding, An absorbent article characterized in that, in the portion in the longitudinal direction where the first fixing portion of the leakage barrier wall overlaps with the welded region, the average area of ​​the first fixing portion of the leakage barrier wall is larger than the average area of ​​the welded region.

6. An absorbent article as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the space-forming sheet portion has a welding region in which the plurality of welding portions are provided on both sides in the width direction, the plurality of openings are evenly arranged in the longitudinal direction and the width direction in the exposed region, and the plurality of welding portions are unevenly arranged in the longitudinal direction and the width direction in the welding region.

7. An absorbent article as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the space-forming sheet portion is made up of a plurality of sheets stacked in the thickness direction, the plurality of sheets having a plurality of compressed portions compressed in the thickness direction, and the average area of ​​the welded portions being larger than the average area of ​​the compressed portions.

8. An absorbent article as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the skin-side sheet portion has a central sheet and a pair of side sheets which are sheet members different from the central sheet, the central sheet is provided in the central portion in the width direction and has a portion which can come into contact with the wearer's skin when worn, the pair of side sheets are provided on both side edges in the width direction, the width direction edges of the central sheet have fixing portions which are fixed to the inner edges in the width direction of the side sheets, the total area of ​​the multiple openings which penetrate in the thickness direction per unit area of ​​the central sheet is greater than the total area of ​​the multiple openings which penetrate in the thickness direction per unit area of ​​the side sheets, and both side edges in the width direction of the space-forming sheet portion are joined at the multiple welded portions to multiple members which overlap the space-forming sheet portion in the thickness direction, and the central sheet is not included in the multiple members, and the side sheets are included in the multiple members.

9. An absorbent article according to claim 8, wherein the fixed portion comprises a plurality of fixed welded portions, and the average area of ​​the openings is smaller than the average area of ​​the fixed welded portions.

Images