Urine collection pad and urine collection set

Abstract

This urine collection pad (1) comprises a storage member (10) and a holding member (20). The storage member (10) is a member capable of storing urine and has two main surfaces (11) opposite each other. The holding member (20) is a member for holding the storage member (10). The holding member (20) has a poorly permeable layer (22). The poorly permeable layer (22) is a portion having a lower liquid permeability than the storage member (10). The poorly permeable layer (22) covers at least a part of one of the main surfaces of the storage member (10). The storage member (10) is detachable from the poorly permeable layer (22).

Description

Urine collection pad, urine collection set

[0001] The present invention relates to a urine collection pad and a urine collection set including such a urine collection pad.

[0002] When performing health management or treatment of a human or an animal other than a human such as a pet, urine may be collected in a certain amount for a urine test. Generally, for example, when the subject of the urine test is a human, when collecting the urine, the person who is the subject of the urine test collects urine in a dedicated container by himself / herself, or an assistant collects the urine of the subject using a urine bottle as described in Patent Document 1 below. In the latter case, when the subject has a desire to urinate, the subject notifies the assistant to that effect, and the assistant collects the subject's urine using the urine bottle.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-100447

[0004] However, when an assistant collects the urine of the subject as described above, when the subject of the urine test is an infant, a young child or a child, or a person having a disease or disorder including dementia, etc., the subject may not be able to convey his / her urine intention to the assistant. Further, when the subject of the urine test is an animal other than a human such as a pet, the animal often cannot convey its urine intention to an assistant including the owner, etc. Thus, when it is difficult for the subject of the urine test and the assistant to communicate about the urine intention, not only does the assistant need to wait for a long time for urine collection, but there is also a possibility of missing the timing of the subject's urination. Therefore, there has been room for improvement in urine collection for subjects for whom it is difficult to communicate about the urine intention.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a urine collection pad or a urine collection kit capable of easily collecting urine from a subject for whom it is difficult to communicate about the urine intention.

[0006] The urine collection pad of the present invention is capable of storing urine, and has a storage member having two opposing main surfaces, and a holding member for holding the storage member. The holding member has a hardly permeable layer that covers at least a part of one main surface of the storage member and has lower liquid permeability than the storage member, and the storage member is detachable from the hardly permeable layer.

[0007] When collecting urine from a subject for a urine test, the assistant can collect the urine by attaching a urine collection pad, which has a urine-retaining component, to the subject. Specifically, after a certain period of time has elapsed since the subject attached the urine collection pad, the assistant retrieves the urine collection pad from the subject. The assistant can then remove the urine-retaining component from the urine collection pad and recover the subject's urine from the component by compression or other means.

[0008] With the urine collection pad of the present invention, even when it is difficult for an assistant to ascertain the urge to urinate of the subject of a urine test, an assistant can collect a urine sample by attaching the urine collection pad to the subject. Therefore, the need for the assistant to wait for a long time to collect a urine sample is reduced, and the possibility of missing the timing of the subject's urination is also reduced. As a result, assistants can easily collect urine samples from subjects with whom it is difficult to communicate about the urge to urinate.

[0009] The aforementioned objectives, as well as other objectives, features, and advantages, will become even clearer from the preferred embodiments described below and the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Figure 2(a) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of use of a urine collection pad according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(b) is a schematic plan view of a urine collection pad according to the first embodiment. Figure 2(b) is a schematic plan view of a urine collection pad according to the first embodiment viewed from below (back). Figure 3(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cross section along the dashed line shown in Figure 2(a) in the direction of arrow IIIA-IIIA. Figure 3(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cross section along the dashed line shown in Figure 2(a) in the direction of arrow IIIB-IIIB. Figure 4(a) is a schematic plan view of another example of a urine collection pad according to the first embodiment. Figure 4(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cross section along the dashed line shown in Figure 4(a) in the direction of arrow IVB-IVB. Figures 5(a) to 5(d) are plan views of a storage member according to the first embodiment. Figure 6(a) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of use of a positioning sheet according to the first embodiment. Figure 6(b) is a schematic plan view of the positioning sheet according to the first embodiment. Figure 7(a) is an exploded perspective view of the extruder according to the first embodiment. Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the extruder according to the first embodiment. Figure 8(a) is a schematic plan view of the urine collection pad according to the second embodiment. Figure 8(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cross section along the dashed line shown in Figure 8(a) in the direction of arrow VIIIB-VIIIB.

[0011] The various components of the urine collection pad and urine collection set of the present invention do not need to be independent entities; it is permissible for multiple components to be formed as a single member, for one component to be formed from multiple members, for one component to be part of another component, for parts of one component to overlap with parts of another component, and so on. Furthermore, while the method of using the urine collection pad and urine collection set of the present invention may be described using multiple steps described in order, the order of description does not limit the order or timing of the execution of the multiple steps. For this reason, when implementing the method of using the urine collection pad and urine collection set of the present invention, the order of the multiple steps can be changed to the extent that it does not impede the content, and some or all of the execution timing of the multiple steps may overlap with each other.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. In this embodiment, the directions of front, back, left, right, up, and down are defined and described as shown in the figures. However, this is defined for convenience in order to briefly explain the relative relationships of the components and does not limit the direction during manufacturing or use of the product implementing the present invention. The up and down direction coincides with the thickness direction of the urine collection pad, etc., and the left and right direction coincides with the width direction of the urine collection pad, etc. Furthermore, in this invention, a plane means a shape that is physically formed with the goal of being a plane, and it is not necessary for it to be a geometrically perfect plane.

[0013] <First Embodiment> (Urine Collection Pad) Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a urine collection pad 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] First, an overview of the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment will be described. The urine collection pad 1 has a storage member 10 and a holding member 20. The storage member 10 is a member capable of storing urine and has two opposing main surfaces 11 (a back surface 11a and a front surface 11b, which will be described later). The holding member 20 is a member that holds the storage member 10. The holding member 20 has a poor-permeability layer 22. The poor-permeability layer 22 is a part that has lower liquid permeability than the storage member 10. The poor-permeability layer 22 also covers at least a part of one of the main surfaces (back surface 11a) of the storage member 10. The storage member 10 is removable from the poor-permeability layer 22. When it is desired to collect urine from a subject for a urine test, the assistant can collect the urine by attaching the urine collection pad having a storage member capable of storing urine to the subject. Specifically, after a certain period of time has passed since the subject of the urine test attached the urine collection pad, the assistant retrieves the urine collection pad from the subject. The assistant can then remove the collection component from the urine collection pad and collect the subject's urine from the collection component by compression or other means. Thus, with the urine collection pad configured as described above, even if it is difficult for the assistant to ascertain the subject's urge to urinate, urine can be collected by attaching the urine collection pad to the subject. Therefore, the need for the assistant to wait for a long time for urine collection is reduced, and the possibility of missing the subject's timing for urination is also reduced. As a result, the assistant can easily collect urine even from subjects with whom it is difficult to communicate about their urge to urinate. In addition, compared to using a urine bottle, etc., since the urine is collected after the subject of the urine test has collected it, the number of times or the time the assistant touches the subject's urine tends to be shorter. This can reduce the psychological burden on the assistant during urine collection.

[0015] Next, the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail. The urine collection pad 1 is an item that is placed on the body of a subject in order to collect the subject's urine. The urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment is placed on the body of the subject of the urine test so as to cover the subject's urethral opening. That is, the urine collection pad 1 is placed on the subject's body so as to overlap with the subject's urethral opening in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface (surface 11b) of the urine collection pad 1 (normal direction of the upper surface). In this embodiment, the subject of the urine test is a person or non-human animal with difficulty or potential difficulty in communicating about the urge to urinate, but the subject of the urine test may also be a person or non-human animal with whom communication about the urge to urinate is possible. Such subjects may include infants, toddlers, children, or persons with illnesses or disabilities, including dementia. In addition, healthy infants, toddlers, or adults, including the elderly, may also be subjects. The urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment can be used regardless of gender, but it may be provided as a women's urine collection pad mainly for use by women. Furthermore, the subject of the urine test may also be an animal other than a human. Examples of animals that can be tested for urine include mammals such as dogs and cats. In other words, examples of animals that can be tested for urine include animals kept as pets or animals raised as livestock. The following section will specifically explain cases where the subject of the urine test is a human. The subject of the urine test may sometimes simply be referred to as the subject.

[0016] In this embodiment, the urine collection pad 1 is an item used by directly attaching it to a diaper or a urine collection pad (diaper pad) used by attaching it to a diaper. More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the urine collection pad 1 in this embodiment is used by attaching it to the inner surface (main surface facing the body side of the subject) of the diaper pad 30. That is, the urine collection pad 1 is attached to the diaper pad 30 such that the attachment area 28, which will be described later, faces the inner surface of the diaper pad 30. As a result, the impermeable layer 22 is positioned on the body side of the subject (hereinafter simply referred to as the subject side) of the inner surface of the diaper pad 30, and the storage member 10 is positioned even further towards the subject than the impermeable layer 22. Alternatively, the urine collection pad 1 may be the diaper or the diaper pad itself. For example, the storage member 20a, which will be described later, may function as a diaper that covers the buttocks of the subject, and the storage member 10, which will be described later, may be detachably held in the diaper.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment extends in the front-to-back direction. Specifically, in this embodiment, the urine collection pad 1 is a sheet-like article that extends in the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction. More specifically, the vertical dimension (thickness dimension) of the urine collection pad 1 is sufficiently smaller than the dimensions of the urine collection pad 1 in the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction, respectively. In this embodiment, the urine collection pad 1 is elongated in the front-to-back direction. That is, the dimensions of the urine collection pad 1 in the front-to-back direction are larger than the dimensions of the urine collection pad 1 in the left-to-right direction. Even if the urine collection pad 1 is elongated in the front-to-back direction, or if the dimensions of the urine collection pad 1 in the front-to-back direction and the dimensions of the urine collection pad 1 in the left-to-right direction are the same, the urine collection pad 1 can still be said to extend in the front-to-back direction. The urine collection pad 1 is attached to the diaper pad 30 so that the front-to-back direction of the urine collection pad 1 coincides with the front-to-back direction of the person being treated.

[0018] The storage member 10 is a member that stores urine. Specifically, the storage member 10 is an absorbent material that can absorb urine, and the absorbed urine is held inside the storage member 10. The storage member 10 is capable of holding at least a portion (only a portion, or all) of the excreted urine. Preferably, the storage member 10 can hold 5 mL or more of urine, more preferably 10 mL or more, and even more preferably 20 mL or more. Furthermore, the amount of urine that the storage member 10 can hold is preferably 300 mL or less, more preferably 200 mL or less, and even more preferably 100 mL or less. It is also preferable that the storage member 10 can hold the excreted urine in a liquid state. Therefore, it is preferable that the storage member 10 does not substantially contain a coagulant for coagulating urine. That is, it is preferable that the urine held in the storage member 10 does not substantially undergo any changes in physical properties, including gelation or solification to the extent that it would interfere with urine testing. The storage member 10 in this embodiment is a fibrous member formed from a fibrous material, as will be described later. The fibrous material may be composed of natural fibers or chemical fibers. In this embodiment, the storage member 10 is made of cotton material, more specifically, absorbent cotton. The storage member 10 is capable of absorbing urine from its outer surface. In particular, the storage member 10 in this embodiment is capable of absorbing urine from its surface 11b. Alternatively, the storage member 10 may be made of another fibrous material.

[0019] The thickness dimension (vertical dimension) of the storage member 10 in its natural state is 1 cm or more, preferably 1.5 cm or more. The natural state refers to the state before absorbing liquid such as urine and without applying stress. This allows the storage member 10 to hold a sufficient amount of urine. Furthermore, the thickness dimension of the storage member 10 in its natural state is 3.5 cm or less, preferably 2.5 cm or less. This prevents the thickness dimension of the urine collection pad 1 from becoming excessively large, thus maintaining good comfort for the person wearing the urine collection pad 1. The volume of the storage member 10 in its natural state is 100 cm³. ３ Preferably, it should be 150 cm or more.３ It is even more preferable that the above conditions are met. Furthermore, the volume of the storage member 10 in its natural state is 350 cm³. ３ Preferably, it is 250 cm. ３ The following is even more preferable: In this embodiment, the dimensions of the storage member 10 in the front-to-back direction are 5 cm or more, preferably 10 cm or more. Also, these dimensions are 25 cm or less, preferably 20 cm or less. For example, in this embodiment, the dimensions of the storage member 10 in the front-to-back direction are about 15 cm. In the left-to-right direction, the dimensions of the storage member 10 are 4 cm or more, preferably 6 cm or more. Also, in the left-to-right direction, the dimensions of the storage member 10 are 12 cm or less, preferably 10 cm or less. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the storage member 10 in the left-to-right direction are about 8 cm.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the storage member 10 is a sheet-like member having a front surface 11b and a back surface 11a. In Figure 1, the main surface 11 facing upward is the front surface 11b, and the main surface 11 facing downward is the back surface 11a. As shown in Figure 2(a), the storage member 10 of this embodiment has an elongated shape in the front-to-back direction when viewed from above. More specifically, the shape of the storage member 10 in a plan view is a substantially rectangular shape with the front-to-back direction as the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the corners of the storage member 10 in a plan view are rounded. Alternatively, the shape of the storage member 10 in a plan view may be a circular shape (elliptical with the front-to-back direction as the longitudinal direction), a polygon, or other irregular shapes.

[0021] In this embodiment, the storage member 10 has a flat main surface 11 (particularly the surface 11b), but is not limited to this. The surface 11b of the storage member 10 may have an uneven shape. For example, the surface 11b of the storage member 10 may have a shape such that the central part in the left-right direction protrudes outward from both ends in the left-right direction. In other words, in a cross-section along the left-right direction of the storage member 10, the surface 11b of the storage member 10 may have a mountain shape. This allows the storage member 10 (urine collection pad 1) to make good contact with the urethral opening of the subject when the person collecting the urine is female, thereby suppressing urine leakage or allowing urine to be efficiently absorbed into the storage member 10, and enabling good urine collection.

[0022] The holding member 20 is a member capable of holding the storage member 10. When we say that the holding member 20 holds the storage member 10, we mean that the holding member 20 is able to maintain the position of the storage member 10 at a predetermined position relative to the holding member 20. More specifically, the storage member 10 is fixed to the holding member 20. In this embodiment, the holding member 20 is a storage member 20a that has a bag-shaped member 21, as described later, and holds the storage member 10 by housing the storage member 10 inside the bag-shaped member 21. Alternatively, the holding member 20 may hold the storage member 10 by other means. For example, as will be explained in the modified example described later, the holding member 20 may hold the storage member 10 by adhesion (stickiness). Or, the holding member 20 may hold the storage member 10 by the engagement of the outer surface of the storage member 10 with the outer surface of the holding member 20.

[0023] The retaining member 20 includes a low-permeability layer 22. The low-permeability layer 22 is a material with lower liquid permeability than the storage member 10. Specifically, the low-permeability layer 22 is composed of a material (low-permeability material) with lower liquid permeability than the storage member 10. Examples of low-permeability materials include resins such as polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. As shown in Figures 2(b), 3(a), and 3(b), the low-permeability layer 22 is a sheet-like material. The low-permeability layer 22 is positioned below the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 and prevents the urine held in the storage member 10 from coming into contact with the diaper or diaper pad 30 and being adsorbed onto the diaper or diaper pad 30.

[0024] The impermeable layer 22 covers at least a portion of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10. Specifically, at least a portion of the impermeable layer 22 overlaps with at least a portion of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 in the vertical direction. When we say that the impermeable layer 22 covers at least a portion of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10, we mean that even if another member is placed between the impermeable layer 22 and the back surface 11a of the storage member 10, or even if no other member is placed between them, at least a portion of the impermeable layer 22 is positioned below at least a portion of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 and overlaps with at least a portion of that back surface 11a in the vertical direction. For example, in this embodiment, the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 is covered by a bag-shaped member 21 (described later) and then further covered by the impermeable layer 22. Alternatively, the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 may be directly covered by the impermeable layer 22. In this embodiment, the shape of the opaque layer 22 when viewed from above is slightly larger in dimensions than the storage member 10 when viewed from above, and a portion of the opaque layer 22 covers the entire back surface 11a of the storage member 10. In this embodiment, the shape of the opaque layer 22 when viewed from above is substantially the same as the shape of the bag-shaped member 21 when viewed from above, as described later.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2(b), the lower surface of the impermeable layer 22 in this embodiment includes an adhesive area 28. An adhesive (not shown) is applied to this adhesive area. In other words, the main surface of the impermeable layer 22 facing the diaper pad 30 (see Figure 1) includes an adhesive area 28 to which the adhesive is applied. In this embodiment, the adhesive area 28 is covered by a release sheet 26. The surface of the release sheet 26 facing the adhesive area 28 is coated with a coating agent and formed to be smooth, making it easily peelable from the adhesive area 28. By peeling off the release sheet 26 to expose the adhesive area 28 and adhering the adhesive area 28 to the diaper pad 30, the urine collection pad 1 can be attached to the diaper pad 30.

[0026] In this embodiment, the impermeable layer 22 is a water-impermeable and non-porous sheet, and is attached to the lower surface of a separate bag-shaped member 21, which will be described later. The impermeable layer 22 in this embodiment is fixed to the bag-shaped member 21 by adhesive, heat-sealing, or other suitable method. Alternatively, the impermeable layer 22 may constitute a part of the bag-shaped member 21, which will be described later. For example, the impermeable layer 22 may constitute the lower part of the bag-shaped member 21. Specifically, the bag-shaped member 21 may be composed of a fibrous material covering the surface 11b and sides of the storage member 10 and an impermeable layer 22 covering the back surface 11a of the storage member 10. The impermeable layer 22 and the fibrous material may be connected to each other by adhesive or adhesive tape, or by other methods. For example, a portion of the fibrous material covering the surface 11b and sides of the storage member 10 may extend to the peripheral edge of the back surface 11a and cover the peripheral edge, and the fibrous material and the impermeable layer 22 may be bonded together at the peripheral edge of the back surface 11a by adhesive tape (tape with adhesive applied to both sides).

[0027] As described above, the storage member 10 is removable from the impermeable layer 22. The statement that the storage member 10 is removable from the impermeable layer 22 means that the urine collection pad 1 has a structure (separation means) that allows the storage member 10 to be easily separated from the impermeable layer 22. The storage member 10 may be directly attached to the impermeable layer 22 and removed directly from it. Alternatively, the storage member 10 may be indirectly attached to the impermeable layer 22 via other components and removed from the impermeable layer 22 together with the other components, or removed from the other components, thereby being indirectly removed from the impermeable layer 22. Here, the statement that the storage member 10 is easily separable from the impermeable layer 22 means that the storage member 10 and the impermeable layer 22 can be separated without causing damage unintended by the design. Here, as a structure (separation means) that allows the storage member 10 to be easily separated from the impermeable layer 22, it is exemplified that the holding member 20 has an opening 24 from which the storage member 10 can be removed, as will be described later. Alternatively, as such a structure, it is exemplified that part or all of the storage member 10 is exposed from the holding member 20. The part of the storage member 10 is preferably one-quarter or more of the total volume of the storage member 10, and more preferably one-half or more of the total volume of the storage member 10. For example, in the second embodiment described later, most of the storage member 10 is exposed from the holding member 20. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the surface of the storage member 10 has a smooth surface portion 11a1, making it peelable from the adhesive layer 22b, and the storage member 10 is designed to be easily separated from the impermeable layer 22. Other structures besides those mentioned above may be adopted as a structure that allows the storage member 10 to be easily separated from the impermeable layer 22. For example, even if the storage member 20a that houses the storage member 10 does not have an opening 24 from which the storage member 10 can be removed, the storage member 20a may be perforated so that it can be easily torn open and the storage member 10 can be removed. Such perforations are break lines intended in the design.

[0028] Next, the method of using the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the urine collection pad 1 is attached to the upper surface of the diaper pad 30 and put on the person to whom the urine is to be collected together with the pad 30. The person to whom the urine is to be collected may put it on themselves, or an assistant may assist in putting it on. The assistant retrieves the collection member 10 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the collection. Specifically, the diaper pad 30 is removed from the person to whom the urine is to be collected, and the urine collection pad 1 is removed from the person to whom the urine is to be collected together with the diaper pad 30. The assistant removes the collection member 10 from the urine collection pad 1 using an instrument such as tweezers or by the assistant's hand, and collects the urine that was collected in the collection member 10 into a container or the like. The urine collected in this way can be used for a urine test.

[0029] In this embodiment, the storage member 10 is filled into an extruder 50 (see Figure 7), which will be described later, and the urine stored in the storage member 10 is recovered by compression using the extruder 50. More specifically, the storage member 10 is removed from the holding member 20, folded with an instrument such as tweezers or by hand, and filled into the extruder. In this embodiment, the storage member 10 is folded along the center line of the storage member 10 in the left-right direction (the dashed line X shown in Figure 2). By folding the storage member 10 along the valley fold line along the front-back direction in this way, the storage member 10 can be removed from the storage member 20a while being folded, and the storage member 10 can be recovered efficiently. The method of recovering urine from the storage member 10 is not limited to the method described above. For example, the extruder 50, which will be described later, can be replaced with a general syringe (for example, a syringe with a capacity of 100 mL). Furthermore, it is not necessary to use an extruder 50 or syringe to compress the storage member 10 and collect the urine. For example, the storage member 10 may be sealed in a predetermined bag, and the urine may be collected by compressing the storage member 10 from above the bag with one's hand or an instrument. In this case, it is more preferable that the predetermined bag (for example, the bottom of the bag) has an opening for collecting the urine into another container.

[0030] In this embodiment, the holding member 20 is a housing member 20a that houses and holds the storage member 10. The housing member 20a (holding member 20) further has an opening 24 that connects the inside and outside of the housing member 20a (holding member 20). In the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment, the storage member 10 can be removed from the housing member 20a through the opening 24. As a result, the storage member 10 of this embodiment can be removed from the impermeable layer 22. Because the storage member 10 is housed inside the housing member 20a in this way, displacement of the storage member 10 relative to the housing member 20a during the manufacturing process or use is effectively suppressed. Furthermore, by housing the storage member 10 in the housing member 20a with the opening 24, the storage member 10 can be held securely in the housing member 20a, and when the storage member 10 needs to be removed from the housing member 20a, it can be easily removed from the housing member 20a through the opening 24.

[0031] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3(a), in this embodiment, the storage member 20a (particularly the bag-shaped member 21 described later) has an internal space. The storage member 10 being housed in the storage member 20a means that at least a portion of the storage member 10 is positioned within the internal space of the storage member 20a. More specifically, as shown in Figure 3(b), the storage member 20a has a bag-shaped member 21. The bag-shaped member 21 defines the internal space by integrally enclosing the storage member 10 on all four sides: left, right, top, and bottom. Also, as shown in Figure 3(a), the bag-shaped member 21 covers the rear end of the storage member 10, and the internal space is closed at the rear end.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2(a), the opening 24 connects the internal space of the containment member 20a to the outside of the containment member 20a. The opening 24 only needs to have a shape and dimensions that allow the storage member 10 to be removed from the containment member 20a through the opening 24, as will be described later. The internal space of the containment member 20a and the outside of the containment member 20a being connected through the opening 24 means that, regardless of the presence or absence of the storage member 10, the internal space of the containment member 20a is adjacent to the outside of the containment member 20a through the opening 24. In this embodiment, the bag-shaped member 21 is open at the front, and the internal space of the bag-shaped member 21 is connected to the outside at the front. That is, the opening 24 is provided at the front of the containment member 20a (bag-shaped member 21). Alternatively, the opening 24 may be provided at the rear of the containment member 20a, or at the center in the front-to-back direction. Or, the opening 24 may be provided on the side of the containment member 20a (the left or right end). Furthermore, it is preferable that the opening width of the opening 24 (the dimension of the opening 24 in the longitudinal direction of the opening 24) is greater than half the width dimension of the storage member 10 (the dimension of the storage member 10 in the left-right direction). More preferably, the opening width of the opening 24 is greater than the width dimension of the storage member 10. In this embodiment, the opening 24 opens in the left-right and up-down directions, and the opening width of the opening 24 is the dimension of the opening 24 in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the opening width of the opening 24 is greater than half the width dimension of the storage member 10 and greater than the width dimension of the storage member 10. Due to this dimensional relationship, the storage member 10 can be removed from the storage member 20a through the opening 24, as will be described later.

[0033] In the containment member 20a, the surface facing upward (the surface of the containment member 20a that touches the person collecting the urine) is preferably made of a material with high liquid permeability (at least a material with higher liquid permeability than the poorly permeable layer 22). This is to allow the urine to pass through the containment member 20a and be absorbed by the storage member 10. Furthermore, the surface facing upward in the containment member 20a is preferably made of a fibrous material. By making this surface of a fibrous material, skin irritation of the person collecting the urine is suppressed. The fibrous material constituting this surface may be a natural fiber or a chemical fiber (synthetic fiber). In this embodiment, 20a is made of nonwoven fabric.

[0034] In this embodiment, the containment member 20a includes a bottomed bag-shaped member with a closed rear end as described above, and the storage member 10 is contained within the bag-shaped member, but is not limited to this. The containment member 20a may also include a cylindrical member with open rear and front ends, and the storage member 10 may be contained within the cylindrical member. That is, the internal space of the containment member 20a may be in communication with the outside on the front and rear sides. This makes it easier to contain the storage member 10 within the containment member 20a during manufacturing. Alternatively, this makes it easier to adjust the position of the storage member 10 within the containment member 20a when using the urine collection pad 1.

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3(a), one end (front end 12 or rear end), which is a part of one end of the storage member 10 in the front-rear direction, is exposed from the housing member 20a. Specifically, at least a part of the surface of the said one end of the storage member 10 is exposed from the housing member 20a. Because a part of the storage member 10 is exposed from the housing member 20a, the storage member 10 can be easily removed from the housing member 20a. In this embodiment, the part of one end is a part of the front end (front end 12), but it may also be a part of the rear end (rear end 14). In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3(a), at least a part of the front end region of the surface 11b of the storage member 10 is exposed from the housing member 20a. More specifically, as shown in Figure 2(a), the entire front end of the surface 11b of the storage member 10 is exposed from the housing member 20a. In other words, the front end 12 of the storage member 10 is exposed from the housing member 20a across its entire width. Alternatively, a portion of the front end of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 may be exposed from the containment member 20a.

[0036] More specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3(a), a portion of one end of the back surface 11a (either a portion of the front end or a portion of the rear end) is covered by the impermeable layer 22. On the other hand, a portion of the same end on the surface 11b is exposed from the storage member 20a. In this embodiment, the portion on one end is a portion of the front end (front end portion 12), but it may also be a portion of the rear end (rear end portion 14). In this embodiment, a portion of the front end region of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 is covered by the impermeable layer 22. Specifically, the entire back surface 11a of the storage member 10 is covered by the impermeable layer 22. More specifically, in this embodiment, the impermeable layer 22 has a shape and dimensions that are slightly larger than the back surface 11a of the storage member 10, thereby covering the entire back surface 11a of the storage member 10. Alternatively, the outer edge of the impermeable layer 22 and the outer edge of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 may substantially coincide when viewed in the vertical direction, and the impermeable layer 22 may have substantially the same shape and dimensions as the back surface 11a of the storage member 10. In this embodiment, a portion of the front end area of ​​the surface 11b of the storage member 10 is exposed from the containment member 20a. In other words, the front end portion 12 of the storage member 10 protrudes forward in the front-rear direction more than the portion of the containment member 20a that covers the upper side of the storage member 10.

[0037] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4(a), a portion of one end (a portion of the front end) of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10 may be exposed from the impermeable layer 22, and a portion of the same end (a portion of the front end) of the surface 11b of the storage member 10 may also be exposed from the containment member 20a. In other words, as shown in Figure 4(b), one end (front end 12) of the storage member 10 may protrude forward from the opening 24 of the containment member 20a. That is, the storage member 10 may be arranged both inside and outside the containment member 20a so as to pass through the opening 24. With the above configuration, the back surface of the storage member 10 can directly contact the surface of the diaper pad 30. As a result, if an amount of urine that cannot be held by the storage member 10 is discharged, some of the urine can be absorbed by the diaper pad 30 via a portion of the front end of the back surface 11a of the storage member 10. As a result, unexpected urine leakage from diaper pads 30, etc., is suppressed.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2(a), the width dimensions (dimensions in the left-right direction) of both ends (front end 12 and rear end 14) of the storage member 10 in the front-rear direction gradually decrease toward each end. When removing the storage member 10 containing liquid urine, the absence of corners at the front and rear ends of the storage member 10 prevents dripping (urine dripping) from starting at such corners. This allows for more hygienic urine collection, or reduces urine loss. Furthermore, because the width dimensions of both ends of the storage member 10 gradually decrease toward each end, it is easy to fill the storage member 10 into an extruder 50 or the like, or to house the storage member 10 in a storage member 20a. Specifically, in this embodiment, the width dimension of the front end 12 of the storage member 10 gradually decreases toward the front, and the width dimension of the rear end 14 of the storage member 10 gradually decreases toward the rear. More specifically, the storage member 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view, but the corners of the rectangular shape are rounded, so the width dimension of both ends of the storage member 10 gradually decreases toward each end. Alternatively, the shape of the storage member 10 in plan view may be elliptical, so the width dimension of both ends of the storage member 10 gradually decreases toward each end.

[0039] In this embodiment, the storage member 10 is a fibrous member in which fibers are arranged along the fiber direction. In this embodiment, the fiber direction is along the front-to-back direction. The storage member 10 in this embodiment is a fibrous member formed by the entanglement of multiple fibers. The fiber direction of the fibrous member is the direction in which the multiple fibers extend exclusively. Specifically, the average of the directions in which the multiple fibers extend is the fiber direction of the fibrous member. The fibrous member is stronger in tension along the fiber direction than in tension in a direction perpendicular to the fiber direction. Also, it is easier to tear the fibrous member along the fiber direction than in a direction intersecting the fiber direction. Because the fiber direction is in the front-to-back direction, as described above, it is easy to fold the storage member 10 along a fold line in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, the storage member 10 can be easily removed from the storage member 20a, folded, and filled into an extruder 50 or the like. Alternatively, because the fiber direction is in the front-to-back direction, urine absorbed by the storage member 10 can easily seep out along the fiber direction. Therefore, since urine seeps out mainly from the front or rear end of the storage member 10, urine can be easily collected. Alternatively, because the fiber direction is aligned with the front-to-back direction, deformation of the storage member 10 due to being pulled in the front-to-back direction when the storage member 10 is pulled forward and removed from the front end of the containment member 20a can be effectively suppressed.

[0040] Alternatively, the fiber direction may be in a direction intersecting the front-to-back direction (a direction oblique to the front-to-back direction or in the width direction). This allows the storage member 10 to be sufficiently compressed when it is filled into the extruder 50 (described later) and compressed, enabling efficient urine collection. The storage member 10, being a fibrous material, is more easily folded and compressed along fold lines parallel to the fiber direction than in a direction intersecting the fiber direction. By intersecting the fiber direction with the front-to-back direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the storage member 10, the storage member 10 can be sufficiently compressed in the front-to-back direction. Alternatively, by intersecting the fiber direction with the front-to-back direction, the storage member 10 can easily maintain a flat state even when the urine collection pad 1 is compressed by stress from the outside in the width direction when the subject closes both legs. As a result, the storage member 10 can easily maintain a state covering the subject's urethral opening, and the storage member 10 can effectively absorb (collect) urine.

[0041] In this embodiment, the bending rigidity of at least a portion of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 when viewed from above is greater than the bending rigidity of the central portion 18 of the storage member 10 when viewed from above. The bending rigidity of any region of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be greater than that of the central portion 18 of the storage member 10, or the bending rigidity of only a portion of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be greater than that of the central portion 18 of the storage member 10. The high bending rigidity of at least a portion of the peripheral portion 16 makes it easy to remove the storage member 10 from the holding member 20 (storage member 20a) or to store the storage member 10 in an extruder or the like, as described later. This is because the portion or vicinity of the storage member 10 with high bending rigidity is less likely to bend even when grasped with tweezers or by hand, making it easy to grasp or fold the storage member 10.

[0042] In plan view, the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 is a part of the outer edge of the storage member 10 in plan view and a part in the vicinity of the outer edge. Specifically, in FIG. 2(a), regions B, C, D, and E indicated by the dashed-dotted line are the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10. Further, the central portion 18 of the storage member 10 in plan view is a region on the inner side of the storage member 10 (the center side of the storage member 10 in plan view) with respect to the peripheral portion 16. Specifically, in FIG. 2(a), the region A indicated by the dashed-dotted line is the central portion 18 of the storage member 10.

[0043] Flexural rigidity refers to the resistance to deformation of the peripheral portion 16 or the central portion 18 when a load is applied to the peripheral portion 16 or the central portion 18 with an instrument such as a hand or tweezers so as to bend the peripheral portion 16 or the central portion 18. More specifically, the flexural rigidity of the peripheral portion 16 is the flexural rigidity with respect to the extending direction of the peripheral portion 16. For example, the flexural rigidity of region C (a part on the right side of the peripheral portion 16 and a part extending in the front-back direction) of the peripheral portion 16 is the resistance to deformation when a stress is applied to deform region C so as to bend it in the front-back direction. The flexural rigidity of region B (a part on the front side of the peripheral portion 16 and a part extending in the left-right direction) of the peripheral portion 16 is the resistance to deformation when a stress is applied to deform region B so as to bend it in the left-right direction. Also, the flexural rigidity of the central portion 18 is the flexural rigidity with respect to the front-back direction or the left-right direction. More specifically, the flexural rigidity of the central portion 18 is the flexural rigidity with respect to the same direction as a part of the peripheral portion 16 being compared.

[0044] In this embodiment, the storage member 10 has a connecting region 13 (not shown in Figure 2(a); see Figure 5(a)) at its peripheral edge 16. As a result, the bending rigidity of the connecting region and the surrounding region is increased, and the bending rigidity of at least a part of the peripheral edge 16 of the storage member 10 is greater than the bending rigidity of the central part 18 of the storage member 10. The connecting region is a region in which multiple fibrous materials constituting the storage member 10 are connected to each other in the vertical direction. Specifically, a crimped region, which is a region compressed from both the vertical and horizontal sides, is exemplified as the connecting region 13. More specifically, the crimped region is a region in the storage member 10 that is compressed by applying heat from both the vertical and horizontal sides (a heat-compressed region). For example, in a storage member 10 composed of multiple layers of fibrous material stacked on top of each other, the multiple layers of fibrous material are connected in the vertical direction in the connecting region 13 (crimped region) of the storage member 10 by heat compression. The thickness of the crimped area is smaller than the thickness of the area outside the crimped area, and the density of the crimped area is higher than the density of the area outside the crimped area. Furthermore, an adhesive bonding area is given as an example of a connecting area 13. Specifically, in a storage member 10 composed of multiple layers of fibrous material stacked on top of each other, the multiple layers of fibrous material are connected to each other by adhesive in the vertical direction within the bonding area. Because the rigidity of the adhesive is higher than the rigidity of the storage member 10, the bending rigidity of the bonding area is increased. Furthermore, a sutured area is given as an example of a connecting area 13, which is compressed from both the vertical and horizontal directions by a thread-like material through stitching. Specifically, the storage member 10 is composed of multiple layers of fibrous material stacked on top of each other, and the multiple layers of fibrous material are sewn to each other with a thread-like material such as thread or metal wire and compressed and connected from both the vertical and horizontal directions. The thickness of the sutured area (especially the overall thickness of the fibrous material) is smaller than the thickness of the area outside the sutured area, and the density of the sutured area (especially the density of the fibrous material portion) is larger than the density of the area outside the sutured area.

[0045] Instead of this embodiment, the bending rigidity of at least a part of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be greater than the bending rigidity of the central portion 18 of the storage member 10 by other configurations. For example, at least a part of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be reinforced by other members. Specifically, at least a part of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be reinforced by a tape, a seam, or the like. Alternatively, the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 and the central portion 18 of the storage member 10 may be formed of different materials or different compositions, and the bending rigidity may be different between the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 and the central portion 18 of the storage member 10. Or, the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be configured to have a larger thickness dimension than the central portion 18.

[0046] Also, as described below, the bending rigidity of a part of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 and the bending rigidity of another part of the peripheral portion 16 may be different. Thereby, as will be described respectively, the urine collection from the storage member 10 can be favorably controlled. Or, thereby, it becomes easy to fold the storage member 10 into a desired shape. At this time, the bending rigidity of at least a part of the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may be greater than the bending rigidity of the central portion 18 as described above, or may be about the same as the bending rigidity of the central portion 18.

[0047] Specifically, in the direction of circumferential movement (referred to as the circumferential direction) around the peripheral edge 16 of the storage member 10, the peripheral edge 16 of the storage member 10 may alternately have a first region with high bending rigidity and a second region with lower bending rigidity than the first region. For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), a plurality of connecting regions 13 are formed on the peripheral edge 16 of the storage member 10. In the circumferential direction, these multiple connecting regions 13 are spaced apart from each other. In Figure 5(a), the bending rigidity of the connecting regions 13 is high, and the bending rigidity of the region sandwiched between the connecting regions 13 in the circumferential direction (unconnected region) is lower than that of the connecting regions 13. In this way, because regions with high bending rigidity (connecting regions 13) are arranged throughout the peripheral edge 16, the peripheral edge 16 as a whole has high bending rigidity. Therefore, it is easy to fold the storage member 10 into a desired shape by grasping the peripheral edge 16 with your hand or with a tool such as tweezers. On the other hand, because the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 includes an unconnected region, when the storage member 10 is compressed, urine can seep out well from a portion of the end face of the storage member 10 near the unconnected region. This is because leaving an unconnected region in the vertical direction on the peripheral portion 16 ensures a path for the urine absorbed in the central portion 18 of the storage member 10 to move to the end face of the storage member 10. As a result, urine can be recovered well from the storage member 10.

[0048] Alternatively, the bending rigidity of the second end 16b may be greater than that of the first end 16a. In this embodiment, the peripheral edge 16 includes the first end 16a and the second end 16b. The first end 16a is a part of the peripheral edge 16 that includes one end (front or rear) of the storage member 10 in the front-rear direction. That is, the first end 16a is regions B and D in Figure 2(a). The second end 16b is a part of the peripheral edge 16 that includes one end (either the left or right side) of the storage member 10 in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The second end 16b is regions C and E in Figure 2(a). By increasing the bending rigidity of the second end 16b and decreasing the bending rigidity of the first end 16a, it becomes easier to fold the storage member 10 along the fold line in the front-rear direction, as described above. It is preferable that the bending stiffness of each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction is greater than the bending stiffness of one or both of the first end 16a located on both sides in the front-rear direction. More specifically, as shown in Figure 5(b), each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction may be designated as a connecting region 13, and each of the first end 16a located on both sides in the front-rear direction may be designated as an unconnected region. This makes it possible to increase the bending stiffness of the second end 16b while decreasing the bending stiffness of the first end 16a. More specifically, the bending stiffness of each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction can be made greater than the bending stiffness of either of the first end 16a located on both sides in the front-rear direction. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5(c), each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction and the rear first end 16a2 may be designated as a connecting region 13, and the front first end 16a1 may be designated as an uncompressed region. This makes the bending stiffness of each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction greater than the bending stiffness of the front first end 16a1. Furthermore, as described above, by making the first end 16a (the first end 16a on both sides in the front-rear direction, or the front first end 16a1) an unconnected region, urine can be collected effectively from the vicinity of the unconnected region.

[0049] Alternatively, the bending rigidity of the first end 16a may be greater than that of the second end 16b. This ensures that when the storage member 10 is compressed in the front-rear direction, the storage member 10 is sufficiently compressed, allowing for good urine collection. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(d), each of the first end 16a located on both sides in the front-rear direction may be designated as a connecting region 13, while each of the second end 16b located on both sides in the left-right direction and the rear first end 16a2 may be designated as an unconnected region.

[0050] Alternatively, the peripheral portion 16 of the storage member 10 may have a constant bending rigidity throughout its entire area. For example, a connecting region 13 continuous in the circumferential direction may be formed in the peripheral portion 16. Or, the entire area of ​​the peripheral portion 16 may be a non-connecting region.

[0051] (Urine collection set) The urine collection pad 1 may be provided as a urine collection set together with other items described later. The urine collection set is a set of items for urine collection, consisting of a plurality of items including the urine collection pad 1.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6(a), the urine collection set of this embodiment may include the urine collection pad 1 and the positioning sheet 40 described above. The positioning sheet 40 is an article that is positioned from the front end to the rear end of the diaper pad 30. The positioning sheet 40 has an attachment portion 44 in which a hole 42 is formed that penetrates in the thickness direction. The positioning sheet 40 makes it easy for an assistant to attach the urine collection pad 1 to the diaper pad 30. The positioning sheet 40 is a sheet member that is elongated in the front-rear direction. This allows the positioning sheet 40 to be attached to the diaper pad 30 from the front end to the rear end. The positioning sheet 40 is an article used to attach the urine collection pad 1 to an appropriate position on the diaper pad 30. Preferably, the positioning sheet 40 has substantially the same shape and dimensions as the main surface of the diaper pad 30.

[0053] As shown in Figure 6(b), a hole 42 is formed in the center of the positioning sheet 40. In plan view, the shape of the hole 42 is substantially the same as that of the urine collection pad 1. Furthermore, it is preferable that the dimensions of the hole 42 in plan view are the same as or larger than those of the urine collection pad 1. The hole 42 becomes an attachment portion 44 for attaching the urine collection pad 1. Specifically, when the positioning sheet 40 is placed on the diaper pad 30, the area on the upper surface of the diaper pad 30 that overlaps with the hole 42 is exposed from the positioning sheet 40. By placing the urine collection pad 1 on the upper surface of the diaper pad 30 exposed from the hole 42, the urine collection pad 1 can be attached to the desired position on the diaper pad 30. That is, by placing the urine collection pad 1 within the frame defining the hole 42, the urine collection pad 1 can be attached to the desired position on the diaper pad 30.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6(b), the dimension L1 from the front end of the positioning sheet 40 to the hole 42 is preferably about one-third of the dimension L2 of the positioning sheet 40 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the dimension L1 from the front end of the positioning sheet 40 to the hole 42 is preferably one-quarter or more and one-half or less of the dimension L2 of the positioning sheet 40 in the front-rear direction. This allows the urine collection pad 1 to be attached to the desired position on the diaper pad 30 using the positioning sheet 40.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7(a), the urine collection set of this embodiment may include the urine collection pad 1 described above and an extruder 50. The extruder 50 includes a storage section (box section 52, described later) and a push rod 54. The storage section (box section 52) is a component capable of housing the storage member 10 and is a bottomed component. The push rod 54 is a component that can be inserted into the interior of the storage section (box section 52) through an opening (box opening 52a) of the storage section (box section 52). The storage section (box section 52) has a communication hole 52b at the bottom of the storage section (box section 52) that connects the inside and outside of the storage section (box section 52). By using the extruder 50, urine can be easily collected from the removed storage member 10. In particular, by using the extruder 50, the assistant handling the urine collection pad 1 can collect urine while minimizing contact with the urine.

[0056] The extruder 50 is an article that compresses the storage member 10 to recover the urine stored in the storage member 10. As shown in Figure 7(a), the box portion 52 is a bottomed article that opens at the box opening 52a. In this embodiment, the box portion 52 is a rectangular parallelepiped box that opens at the box opening 52a. Specifically, the shape of the box portion 52 is a rectangular parallelepiped, with the length of the side in the depth direction being the longest of the three sides. The cross-sectional shape of the box portion 52 in the direction perpendicular to the depth direction (shape in a plan view of the box opening 52a) is rectangular. One or more communication holes 52b are provided at the bottom of the box portion 52. The communication holes 52b are small enough that the storage member 10, which is stressed by the push rod 54, is not pushed out of the box portion 52 through the communication holes 52b. The communication holes 52b are also large enough to allow liquid (urine) to pass through. In this embodiment, the bottom of the box portion 52 is formed by a plurality of vertical bars arranged parallel to each other, with a plurality of communication holes 52b formed between the vertical bars. In other words, the bottom of the box portion 52 is a vertical grid with a plurality of communication holes 52b formed therein. Alternatively, the bottom of the box portion 52 may be formed in a mesh (grid) shape with communication holes 52b, or the plurality of communication holes may be scattered on the bottom of the box portion 52. The box portion 52 is provided with a handle 52c that extends in the depth direction of the box portion 52.

[0057] In this embodiment, the extruder 50 and push rod 54 are made of wood, but the materials used to construct the extruder 50 and push rod 54 are not limited to wood and may be metal, resin, or other materials. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extruder 50 and rod 54 are disposable items used only once for one urine collection pad 1, but they may be reused multiple times after sterilization or other treatment.

[0058] The push rod 54 includes a rod-shaped portion 54a and a pressing portion (plate portion 54b). The pressing portion (plate portion 54b) is a part that applies stress to the storage member 10 filled inside the box portion 52. The plate portion 54b has substantially the same shape as the box opening 52a of the box portion 52, and has dimensions equivalent to or smaller than the box opening 52a.

[0059] Next, an example of how to use the extruder 50 will be described. In this embodiment, the storage member 10 is folded along fold lines in the front-to-back direction while being removed from the storage member 20a, or after being removed. The storage member 10 may be folded in half only once, or it may be folded along multiple fold lines in the front-to-back direction (for example, it may be folded into an accordion shape). The folded storage member 10 is filled into the box portion 52 with the front-to-back direction of the storage member 10 substantially coinciding with the depth direction of the box portion 52. The removal, folding, and filling of the storage member 10 may be performed by an assistant using tools such as tweezers, or by the assistant's hands. The assistant places a collection container (not shown) below the bottom of the box portion 52, and then grasps the rod-shaped portion 54a and pushes the push rod 54 into the box portion 52. As a result, as shown in Figure 7(b), the plate portion 54b moves towards the bottom of the box portion 52 inside the box portion 52. Consequently, the storage member 10 is sandwiched and compressed between the bottom of the box portion 52 and the plate portion 54b. Due to this compression, urine seeps out from the storage member 10, and the urine leaks out of the box portion 52 through the communication hole 52b and is collected in a collection container. The use of the extruder 50 is not limited to the method described above. For example, the storage member 10 may be folded along a fold line in a different direction and filled into the box portion 52, or the storage member 10 may be folded into an irregular shape and filled into the box portion 52.

[0060] Alternatively, the urine collection pad 1 may be provided as a standalone unit. Furthermore, the urine collection set may include only one of the positioning sheet 40 and the extruder 50, or it may include both the positioning sheet 40 and the extruder 50. In addition, the urine collection set may include other items besides the positioning sheet 40 and the extruder 50.

[0061] <Second Embodiment> Figure 8(a) is a schematic plan view showing an example of the urine collection pad 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 8(b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the urine collection pad 1 according to this embodiment. First, an overview of the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0062] In this embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the urine collection pad 1 has a storage member 10 that is removable from the impermeable layer 22.

[0063] Next, the urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail. The urine collection pad 1 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the storage member 10 is fixed to the holding member 20 by adhesive, in that the storage member 10 is housed inside the holding member 20. In other words, the holding member 20 in this embodiment does not house the storage member 10 inside and does not have the opening 24 described in the first embodiment.

[0064] In this embodiment, the holding member 20 includes a permeable layer 22 and a release sheet 26. The holding member 20 holds the storage member 10 (particularly its back surface 11a) because the storage member 10 (particularly its back surface 11a) is fixed to the permeable layer 22 by adhesive.

[0065] As shown in Figure 8(b), in this embodiment, the storage member 10 is positioned above the upper surface (the opposing surface 22a, described later) of the impermeable layer 22. In other words, the entire back surface 11a of the storage member 10 is covered by the holding member 20 (impermeable layer 22), and the side end surface and surface 11b of the storage member 10 are exposed from the holding member 20 (impermeable layer 22). More specifically, the entire side end surface and the entire surface 11b of the storage member 10 are exposed from the holding member 20.

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8(a), the opaque layer 22 has an adhesive layer 22b on the surface (opposing surface 22a) facing the back surface 11a of the storage member 10. The opposing surface 22a is the main surface (upper surface) of the opaque layer 22 that faces upward. The entire surface or a part of the center of the opposing surface 22a is the adhesive layer 22b. In this embodiment, there is no distinction between adhesion and tackiness. The adhesive layer 22b is a layer formed by spreading an adhesive or tack, that is, it may be a tackiness layer formed of a tack. In this embodiment, when viewed from above, the adhesive layer 22b has dimensions that are slightly smaller than the upper surface (opposing surface 22a) of the opaque layer 22. In other words, when viewed from above, the outer edge of the adhesive layer 22b is located inside the outer edge of the opaque layer 22. Furthermore, when viewed from above, the outer edge of the adhesive layer 22b is located inside the outer edge of the storage member 10. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8(b), the storage member 10 has a smooth surface portion 11a1 on its back surface 11a. The smooth surface portion 11a1 is a part of the surface 11b of the storage member 10 that is smoother than the surface 11b of the storage member 10. In a plan view, it is preferable that the outer edge of the smooth surface portion 11a1 is located outside the outer edge of the adhesive layer 22b. In this embodiment, the entire back surface 11a of the storage member 10 is the smooth surface portion 11a1. In this embodiment, the smooth surface portion 11a1 is formed of a thin layer of resin or the like, so that its surface roughness is less and it is smoother than the surface 11b of the storage member 10. More specifically, in this embodiment, the storage member 10 is constructed by covering the lower surface of the main body, which is made of fibrous material, with a thin layer of resin. As shown in Figure 8(b), the adhesive layer 22b of the impermeable layer 22 is peelably bonded to the smooth surface portion 11a1 of the storage member 10. In this way, when fixing the storage member 10 to the impermeable layer 22, an adhesive layer 22b is provided on the impermeable layer 22, and the adhesive layer 22b is attached to the smooth surface portion 11a1 of the storage member 10, making it easy to peel the storage member 10 off the impermeable layer 22 and remove it. This is because the smooth surface portion 11a1 peels off easily from the adhesive layer 22b.More specifically, when the urine collection pad 1 is attached to the diaper pad 30, the adhesive strength (peel strength) of the impermeable layer 22 (attachment area 28) to the diaper pad 30 is lower than the adhesive strength (peel strength) of the impermeable layer 22 (adhesive layer 22b) to the diaper pad 30. In other words, when the urine collection pad 1 is attached to the diaper pad 30 and the storage member 10 is pulled upward, the interface between the storage member 10 (smooth surface 11a1) and the impermeable layer 22 (adhesive layer 22b) peels off before the interface between the impermeable layer 22 (attachment area 28) and the upper surface of the diaper pad 30. Adhesive strength (peel strength) is the force required to separate two members when they are bonded together. As a result, when removing the storage member 10 from the adhesive layer 22b, it is not necessary to pull it off with strong force, so the storage member 10 is less likely to be subjected to unexpected stress and compression, and unexpected loss of urine is suppressed. In addition, since the adhesive layer 22b is formed as a poorly permeable layer 22 and there is no adhesive layer formed on the outer surface of the storage member 10, the storage member 10 that has been removed is less likely to take on an unexpected shape due to the adhesive layer or the like.

[0067] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications, improvements, and other forms as long as the objectives of the present invention are achieved.

[0068] The above embodiments encompass the following technical concepts: (1) A urine collection pad comprising: a storage member capable of storing urine and having two opposing main surfaces; and a holding member for holding the storage member, wherein the holding member has a low-permeability layer covering at least a portion of one of the main surfaces of the storage member and having lower liquid permeability than the storage member, and the storage member is removable from the low-permeability layer. (2) The urine collection pad according to (1), wherein the holding member is a housing member for housing and holding the storage member, and further has an opening that connects the inside and outside of the holding member, and the storage member is removable from the housing member through the opening. (3) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and one end which is a part of one end of the storage member in the front-rear direction is exposed from the housing member. (4) The urine collection pad according to (3), wherein a portion of one end of the first main surface is covered with the impermeable layer, and a portion of one end of the other main surface is exposed from the receiving member. (4-1) The urine collection pad according to (3), wherein a portion of one end of the first main surface is exposed from the impermeable layer, and a portion of one end of the other main surface is also exposed from the receiving member. (5) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and the width dimensions of both ends of the storage member in the front-rear direction gradually decrease toward each end. (6) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the storage member is a fibrous member in which fibers are arranged along the fiber direction, and the fiber direction is along the front-rear direction. (6-1) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the storage member is a fibrous member in which fibers are arranged along the fiber direction, and the fiber direction is in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction. (7) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the bending rigidity of at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the storage member when viewed in plan is greater than the bending rigidity of the central part of the storage member when viewed in plan.(8) The urine collection pad according to (7), wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and the peripheral edge includes a first end including one end of the storage member in the front-rear direction, and a second end including one end of the storage member in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the bending stiffness of the second end is greater than that of the first end. (8-1) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and the peripheral edge of the storage member when viewed in plan includes a first end including one end of the storage member in the front-rear direction, and a second end including one end of the storage member in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the bending stiffness of the second end is greater than that of the first end. (8-2) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein in the direction circumferential to the peripheral edge of the storage member, the peripheral edge of the storage member alternately has a first region with high bending stiffness and a second region with lower bending stiffness than the first region. (8-3) The urine collection pad according to (2), wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and the peripheral edge of the storage member when viewed in plan includes a first end including one end of the storage member in the front-rear direction, and a second end including one end of the storage member in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the bending rigidity of the first end is greater than the bending rigidity of the second end. (9) The urine collection pad according to (1), wherein the impermeable layer has an adhesive layer on one of the storage members facing the main surface, the storage member has a smooth surface portion on one of the main surfaces that is smoother than the other main surface, and the adhesive layer is peelably adhered to the smooth surface portion. (10) A urine collection set comprising: a urine collection pad according to any one of (1) to (9) that extends in the front-to-back direction and is attached to a diaper; and a positioning sheet that is positioned from the front end to the rear end of the diaper, wherein the positioning sheet has an attachment portion formed with a hole that penetrates in the thickness direction.(11) A urine collection set comprising a urine collection pad as described in any one of the above items (2) to (8), and an extruder including a bottomed storage section capable of accommodating the storage member and a push rod that can be inserted into the storage section from the opening of the storage section, wherein the storage section has a communication hole at the bottom of the storage section that connects the inside and outside of the storage section.

[0069] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-207127, filed on 28 November 2024, and incorporates all of its disclosures herein.

Claims

1. A urine collection pad comprising: a storage member capable of storing urine and having two opposing main surfaces; and a holding member for holding the storage member, wherein the holding member has a low-permeability layer covering at least a portion of one of the main surfaces of the storage member and having lower liquid permeability than the storage member, and the storage member is removable from the low-permeability layer.

2. The urine collection pad according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is a housing member that houses and holds the storage member, and further has an opening that connects the inside and outside of the holding member, and the storage member can be removed from the housing member through the opening.

3. The urine collection pad according to claim 2, wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and one end portion of the storage member in the front-rear direction is exposed from the storage member.

4. The urine collection pad according to claim 3, wherein a portion of one end of the first main surface is covered with the impermeable layer, and a portion of one end of the other main surface is exposed from the receiving member.

5. The urine collection pad according to claim 2, wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-to-back direction, and the width dimension of both ends of the storage member in the front-to-back direction gradually decreases toward each end.

6. The urine collection pad according to claim 2, wherein the storage member is a fibrous member in which fibers are arranged along the fiber direction, and the fiber direction is along the front-to-back direction.

7. The urine collection pad according to claim 2, wherein the bending rigidity of at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the storage member when viewed in plan is greater than the bending rigidity of the central portion of the storage member when viewed in plan.

8. The urine collection pad according to claim 7, wherein the urine collection pad extends in the front-rear direction, and the peripheral edge includes a first end including one end of the storage member in the front-rear direction, and a second end including one end of the storage member in the width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the bending rigidity of the second end is greater than the bending rigidity of the first end.

9. The urine collection pad according to claim 1, wherein the impermeable layer has an adhesive layer on the surface of the storage member facing the one main surface, the storage member has a smooth surface portion on the one main surface that is smoother than the other main surface, and the adhesive layer is peelably adhered to the smooth surface portion.

10. A urine collection set comprising: a urine collection pad according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which extends in the front-to-back direction and is attached to a diaper; and a positioning sheet disposed from the front end to the rear end of the diaper, wherein the positioning sheet has an attachment portion formed with a hole that penetrates in the thickness direction.

11. A urine collection set comprising a urine collection pad according to any one of claims 2 to 8, and an extruder including a bottomed storage section capable of accommodating the storage member and a push rod that can be inserted into the storage section from an opening in the storage section, wherein the storage section has a communication hole at the bottom of the storage section that connects the inside and outside of the storage section.

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