JP7628479B2 - Absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to absorbent articles such as diapers.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some absorbent articles such as diapers have designs applied to their outer surfaces, and techniques have been proposed for adding functionality from a visual standpoint through the designs.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a wearable article having a waist graphic and a crotch graphic, in which the difference in opacity between the outer cover layer covering the crotch graphic and the belt including the waist graphic is set to less than 20% in order to approximate the appearance of underwear.
Patent Document 2 describes a diaper in which markers are provided near or overlapping the fold guide parts of the absorbent body so as to be visible from the outer surface side. The fold guide parts and markers are provided in three locations near the center of the width direction of the crotch part, and extend linearly toward the ventral side and dorsal side parts. Therefore, the markers are not hidden by the crotch part of the wearer when the diaper is worn, and are always easily visible from the outer surface side. By looking at the shape of the diaper at the positions of the markers, it is possible to check whether the absorbent body is deformed into a W-shape at the positions of the three fold guide parts and whether the diaper is worn correctly.
In addition, some diapers are provided with so-called notification signs that visually indicate the presence or absence of urination (excretion) to the outside. The notification signs are made of, for example, water-sensitive materials, and some change color when they react with moisture such as urine. This color change allows the outside to recognize the presence or absence of excretion, that is, it makes it possible to notify the outside that the diaper is being changed.
Such a notification sign is usually placed in the center of the crotch part of the diaper in order to reliably notify the wearer of urination, etc. For example, it is often placed in a similar position to the three markers described in Patent Document 2.

Special table 2019-513462 publication JP 2012-115378 A

The notification sign is located in the widthwise center of the crotch part of an absorbent article such as a diaper, and is provided as one or more notice signs, which are easy to see and allow the presence or absence of urination, etc. to be easily recognized.
However, because notification signs are located in conspicuous locations, they can disrupt the harmony with other pictures and patterns, and detract from the appearance and aesthetic appeal of the item.
In addition, the widthwise center where the warning sign is located is close to the wearer's excretion point. Therefore, the warning sign may discolor when the absorbent body has just absorbed urine and is not yet at the stage where leakage is imminent. This means that the diaper is changed before the absorbent body's absorption capacity has been fully utilized, resulting in frequent changes and short change intervals. Furthermore, such an increase in the number of changes leads to increased costs and waste. Therefore, it is desirable for the warning sign to be displayed when the absorbent body has absorbed liquid up to the widthwise end and the absorbent capacity has been fully utilized.

In view of the above, the present invention relates to an absorbent article that can fully utilize the absorption capacity of the absorbent body and notify the user when it is time to replace the absorbent article when it has absorbed liquid, without compromising the design of patterns or designs that decorate the outer appearance.

The present invention provides an absorbent article having a vertically long absorbent body and having a crotch portion arranged on the crotch side of a wearer, a ventral portion arranged on the ventral side, and a dorsal portion arranged on the dorsal side,
The absorbent body is disposed with its longitudinal direction directed toward the abdominal portion, the crotch portion, and the back portion, and has at least a pair of fold guide portions, which are the starting points for folding the absorbent body, at positions inward from both side edges in the longitudinal direction in the crotch portion, and the fold guide portions extend along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body;
In the crotch portion, a marking portion that follows the circumference of the wearer's legs is arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and the marking portion is located in a side crotch portion that is located outward in the width direction from the position of the folding guide portion when the non-skin-facing side of the crotch portion is viewed in a plan view,
The absorbent article is provided in such a way that, when the absorbent article is worn, the side crotch portions fold from the fold guide portion toward the wearer's skin and are sandwiched between the wearer's crotch portions, thereby hiding the marking portions, and as the absorbent body absorbs excretory fluid while the absorbent article is being worn and its weight increases, the crotch portions hang down from the wearer's crotch portions and the folds in the side crotch portions loosen, revealing the marking portions.

The absorbent article of the present invention can fully utilize the absorption capacity of the absorbent body without compromising the design of the pattern or design that decorates the exterior, and can notify the user when it is time to replace the absorbent when it has absorbed liquid.

1 is a perspective view showing a pants-type diaper, which is a preferred embodiment of an absorbent article according to the present invention, in an unfolded state immediately before being worn. FIG. 2 is a developed plan view showing the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. 1 after being torn at a side seal portion, developed, and stretched, as viewed from the non-skin-facing side. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. 2 taken along line III-III. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the side crotch portions of the crotch portion shown in FIG. 3 are folded starting from folding guide portions when the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. 1 is worn. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the pants-type diaper shown in FIG. 1 is worn when liquid has not yet been absorbed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the crotch portion of the pants-type diaper has sagged due to liquid absorption from the state of FIG. 5, and the marking portions arranged on the side absorbent portions have appeared. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another preferred embodiment of the configuration of the crotch portion.

A preferred embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In this specification, the side that comes into contact with the wearer's skin is referred to as the skin-facing side, front side, or inner side, and the opposite side is referred to as the non-skin-facing side, back side, or outer side. These terms are also used to indicate the relative positional relationship in the component configuration of an absorbent article for members that do not have a surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin. Additionally, the direction that is in front of the wearer when worn is referred to as the front or front side, and the direction that is in the rear is referred to as the rear or rear side. The normal direction to the front or back side of an absorbent article is referred to as the thickness direction.

Figure 1 shows a pants-type diaper 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as diaper 10) according to a preferred embodiment. The diaper 10 of this embodiment comprises a ventral portion 10F arranged on the ventral side of the wearer, a crotch portion 10C arranged on the crotch side, and a back portion 10R arranged on the back side, and has a waist circumference direction X and a body length direction Y. The diaper 10 also comprises a waist opening 12 arranged above the ventral portion 10F and the back portion 10R in the body length direction Y, and a pair of leg openings 13, 13 arranged on the left and right sides of the crotch portion 10C.

The diaper 10 has an absorbent body 1 and an exterior body 2 as its constituent members. The exterior body 2 has a ventral exterior body 21 and a rear exterior body 22 which form the outer surface main body of each of the ventral portion 10F and the rear portion 10R. The ventral exterior body 21 and the rear exterior body 22 are joined at the side seal portion 11 by overlapping both side edges of each of them. This forms the annular waist portion 10D of the diaper 10. The joining at the side seal portion 11 can be performed by various methods used for this type of article. For example, there are joining methods such as fusion joining and pressure joining (e.g. embossing) that are used to integrate the two parts in a compact manner. The absorbent body 1 forms the crotch portion 10C in the portion extending further from the skin-facing side of the exterior body 2 in the ventral portion 10F and the rear portion 10R. In the diaper 10 having such a configuration, the upper open portion of the waist portion 10D becomes the waist opening 12 described above. The open areas on both the left and right sides of the crotch section 10C form the pair of leg openings 13, 13 mentioned above.

2 shows the diaper 10 as viewed from the non-skin facing side after being broken at the side seal portions 11, 11, unfolded and stretched. The "unfolded state" refers to the state in which each portion of the diaper 10 is stretched to spread the diaper 10 flat. In the unfolded state, the waist circumference direction X and body length direction Y are also referred to as the width direction X and the length direction Y.
In the unfolded state of the diaper 10, a horizontally long ventral exterior body 21 and a rear exterior body 22 are arranged corresponding to the ventral portion 10F and the rear portion 10R, respectively. The vertically long rectangular absorbent main body 1 is arranged on the skin-facing sides of the ventral exterior body 21 and the rear exterior body 22 with its longitudinal direction directed toward the ventral portion 10F, the crotch portion 10C, and the rear portion 10R of the diaper 10. At the front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent main body 1, the ventral exterior body 21 and the rear exterior body 22 arranged on the non-skin-facing side are folded back and joined to the skin-facing side of the absorbent main body 1. As a result, the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side of the front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent main body 1 are covered by the ventral exterior body 21 and the rear exterior body 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent body 1 has a liquid-permeable top sheet 3 on the skin side, a leakproof back sheet 4 on the non-skin side, and a liquid-retentive absorbent 5 disposed between the top sheet 3 and the back sheet 4. The absorbent body 1 also has a pair of side sheets 9 on both sides in the longitudinal direction Y. The leading edge of the side sheet 9 has a stretchable elastic body 91 stretched along the longitudinal direction Y to form a three-dimensional gather section. By providing the elastic body 91 in this three-dimensional gather section, when the diaper is worn, the side sheet 9 stands up like a side wall on the top sheet 3 side due to the contraction of the elastic body 91, preventing liquid from flowing outward from the absorbent body 5 in the width direction X.

The absorbent body 5 has a vertically elongated shape similar to the absorbent main body 1, and its longitudinal direction is arranged toward the abdominal side portion 10F, the crotch portion 10C, and the back side portion 10R of the diaper 10. The absorbent body 5 also has an absorbent core 6 in which absorbent material is accumulated, and a core wrap sheet 7 that covers the outer periphery of the absorbent core 6. With regard to the core wrap sheet 7, in FIG. 3, one core wrap sheet 7 is wrapped in the width direction while covering the entire absorbent core 6 in the longitudinal direction Y, and covers the skin-facing side (front side), both sides, and the non-skin-facing side (back side) of the absorbent core 6. Both ends of the wrapped core wrap sheet 7 in the width direction X are overlapped and joined on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6. Both ends of the core wrap sheet 7 in the width direction X may be joined at different positions. The core wrap sheet 7 may also be made up of two or more sheets.

The absorbent body 5 has at least a pair of folding guide portions 61, which are the starting points for folding the absorbent body 5, located inward from both side edges 5E, 5E in the longitudinal direction Y (both ends in the width direction X) in the crotch portion 10C. The folding guide portions 61 extend along the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent body 5. It is preferable that the folding guide portions 61 are arranged within the crotch portion 10C region with a length that does not reach the ventral portion 10F and the dorsal portion 10R in the longitudinal direction Y. This makes it possible to achieve a balance between the liquid absorption and liquid diffusion properties of the absorbent core 6, and the comfortable fit of the diaper 10.

The fold guide portion 61 is a portion of the absorbent body 5 where folding stress is relatively likely to concentrate. For example, the fold guide portion 61 can be formed as a portion where the basis weight of the absorbent body is made lower than that of the portion other than the fold guide portion 61. In this case, it is preferable that the absorbent material constituting the absorbent core 6 described above has a basis weight lower than that of the portion surrounding the fold guide portion 61. In the fold guide portion 61, the basis weight of the absorbent material constituting the absorbent core 6 is preferably 50 g/ ^m2 or less.

The folding guide portion 61 may be a slit portion arranged in the absorbent body 5. The slit portion is a space portion in the thickness direction formed by partially separating the accumulated layer of the absorbent material of the absorbent core 6 constituting the absorbent body 5. The slit portion may be a cut-like portion or a groove having a predetermined width. The slit portion may be a through hole in the thickness direction that extends to both the front and back sides of the absorbent core 6 (see FIG. 3), or may be a partial hole. The slit portion is preferably a hole formed in the thickness direction from at least the skin surface side of the absorbent core 6. Such a folding guide portion 61 can be formed, for example, by making a cut in the accumulated layer of the absorbent material. In addition, when accumulating the absorbent material to form the absorbent core 6, a non-accumulated portion that is not partially accumulated may be formed, and this may be the folding guide portion 61.
If the folding guide portion 61 is a slit portion, the ability to draw in excreted liquid is enhanced at that portion. This allows the excreted liquid to be accurately taken in from the topsheet during the process of diffusing from the central absorbent portion 5L to the side absorbent portions 5H, thereby improving the ability to prevent leakage of excreted liquid.

As described above, the two folding guide portions 61 are arranged inwardly from the left and right side edges 5E, 5E of the absorbent body 5 in the crotch portion 10C, spaced apart from each other in the width direction. The absorbent body 5 has, in the crotch portion 10C, a central absorbent portion 5L divided into two folding guide portions 61 and lateral absorbent portions 5H, 5H on the left and right outer sides of the central absorbent portion 5L.
The central absorbent portion 5L has a length in the width direction X that covers the crotch of the wearer. The length in the width direction X of the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 10% or more, and more preferably 15% or more, of the width direction length of the absorbent body 5 in the crotch portion 10C. The length in the width direction X of the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 60% or less, and more preferably 55% or less, of the width direction length of the absorbent body 5 in the crotch portion 10C.

The number of fold guide portions 61 is not limited to two as shown in FIG. 3, and may be three or more. In that case, it is preferable that the space between the fold guide portions 61 located most outward in the width direction X becomes the central absorbent portion 5L.

In the diaper 10, the crotch portion 10C including the above-mentioned structure of the absorbent body 5 is divided into a central crotch portion 10CL located inward in the width direction from the position of the folding guide portion 61 and side crotch portions 10CH, 10CH located outward in the width direction when viewed in a plan view. The central crotch portion 10CL includes the central absorbent portion 5L and has a length in the width direction X that covers the crotch portion of the wearer. The side crotch portions 10CH include the side absorbent portions 5H and are folded toward the skin of the wearer from the folding guide portion 61 as shown in FIG. 4 when the diaper 10 is worn.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the crotch portion 10C of the diaper 10, a marking portion 41 is arranged along the leg circumference on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 5. The marking portion 41 is located in the side crotch portion 10CH, which is located outward in the width direction from the position of the folding guide portion 61 when the non-skin facing side of the crotch portion 10C is viewed in plan.

The marking portion 41 is a linear or band-like design arranged to be visible from the non-skin-facing side, i.e., the outer side, of the lateral crotch portion 10CH along the leg circumference. More specifically, the marking portion 41 extends toward the abdominal portion 10F and the dorsal portion 10R in the lateral crotch portion 10CH while curving along the leg circumference of the leg opening 13. The extension range of the marking portion 41 may be limited to the lateral crotch portion 10CH, or may extend from the lateral crotch portion 10CH to the abdominal portion 10F and the dorsal portion 10R.
The marking portion 41 may be a continuous line, an intermittent line such as a broken line, a group of lines such as double or triple lines, a pattern such as a figure or a design arranged in a line with a predetermined width, or a character, for example, a character string such as "Exchange." Furthermore, it may be an arrangement in which characters and a pattern are combined.

The marking portion 41 is colored in a color different from the basic color (e.g., white) of the material constituting the outer surface of the diaper 10 so that the marking portion 41 can be recognized when the side crotch portion 10CH is viewed from the outer surface side of the diaper 10. The color may be either a chromatic color or an achromatic color. The color may be changed depending on the state in which the diaper 10 is worn, or may be made to remain unchanged. From the viewpoint of the operation of the side crotch portion 10CH and the marking portion 41 in the worn state and the resulting function of notifying the wearer of the timing of diaper change, which will be described later, it is preferable that the color remain unchanged.
The marking portion 41 may be disposed on various layers of the component configuration of the crotch portion 10C, so long as it is on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 5 and is visible from the outer surface side of the diaper 10. For example, the marking portion 41 may be disposed on the non-skin-facing side of the back sheet 4 or on the skin-facing side of the back sheet 4. The back sheet 4 may be made of multiple layers, with the marking portion 41 disposed between the layers. It is preferable that the multiple layers are made of a film sheet and a light-transmitting nonwoven fabric disposed on the non-skin-facing side of the film sheet, and the marking portion 41 is disposed between the film sheet and the nonwoven fabric.
Such markings 41 can be formed by a method commonly used for this type of article, for example, by printing on the non-skin-facing side or skin-facing side of the backsheet 4 or the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 3 using ink, pigment, dye, or the like.

From the standpoint of more effectively notifying the user when it is time to change the diaper 10, as described below, and from the standpoint of more accurately notifying the user when it is time to change the diaper when leakage is imminent, it is preferable that the marking portion 41 be in the following range at the position where it is most narrow on the inner side of the crotch portion 10C in the width direction X.
That is, in a plan view of the crotch portion 10C, the marker portions 41 are preferably located within a range of 95% or less, and more preferably within a range of 90% or less, from both side edges 5E, 5E in the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent body 5 (both ends in the width direction X) with respect to the widthwise length of each of the lateral absorbent portions 5H, 5H divided by the folding guide portions 61. In particular, the marker portions 41 are preferably located 0% from both side edges 5E, 5E in the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent body 5 (both ends in the width direction X), i.e., at the positions of both side edges 5E, 5E in the longitudinal direction Y of the absorbent body 5 (both ends in the width direction X).

When the diaper 10 is worn, the side crotch portion 10CH folds toward the wearer's skin starting from the folding guide portion 61 and is sandwiched between the wearer's crotch, hiding the marking portion 41. Then, as the absorbent body 5 absorbs urine and other excretory fluids while the diaper 10 is being worn and its weight increases, the crotch portion 10C begins to hang down from the wearer's crotch. As a result, the fold in the side crotch portion 10CH loosens, revealing the marking portion 41. This point will be explained in more detail below with an example.

5, when the diaper 10 is worn, the central crotch portion 10CL is disposed between the thighs of the wearer W so as to cover the entire width of the crotch portion. The side crotch portions 10CH on both sides of the central crotch portion 10CL are folded toward the skin of the wearer and raised up to fit into the boundaries between the wearer's crotch and the inner surfaces of the thighs.
As a result, the markings 41 arranged in the lateral crotch portions 10CH are hidden between the crotch and inner thighs of the wearer W. When the diaper 10 is first worn, there is little or no increase in the weight of the absorbent body 5 due to urination or the like, so the above-mentioned bent state is maintained and the markings 41 are not easily visible. This allows a person (e.g., a guardian or a caregiver) who sees the wearer W wearing the diaper 10 to recognize that no excretion has occurred.

When the wearer W urinates while wearing the diaper 10, the absorbent body 5 absorbs the excreted liquid and increases in weight. At the same time, the absorbent body 5 also increases in volume. When the wearer urinates many times and the absorbent body 5 absorbs more liquid, the excreted liquid is diffused and absorbed from the central absorbent portion 5L in the central crotch portion 10CL to the side absorbent portions 5H in the side crotch portions 10CH through the partitions of the folding guide portions 61. In this way, the absorbent body 5 approaches a state where the absorption capacity is fully utilized. Then, not only the central absorbent portion 5L but also the left and right side absorbent portions 5H, 5H increase in weight and volume, and the entire absorbent body 5 sags (hangs down) in the direction of gravity. At this time, the side absorbent portions 5H loosen their folds starting from the folding guide portions 61 due to the increase in weight, and try to return to a flat state. As a result, the lateral crotch portion 10CH on which the marking portion 41 is provided is released from the state where it is sandwiched between the crotch portion and the inner side of the thigh portion at the position around the leg.
6, the markings 41 in the lateral crotch portions 10CH are detached from the inner surfaces of the thighs and become visible from the outer surface side of the diaper 10. As a result, when the diaper 10 is viewed from the outside, the line of the markings 41 in the crotch portion 10C, which was not visible when the diaper 10 was first worn, appears, indicating that it is time to change the diaper.

In this way, the diaper 10 can notify the user when it is time to change the diaper when the diaper 10 has fully absorbed the liquid by fully utilizing the absorption capacity of the absorbent body 5. This can extend the interval between changes, reduce the labor required, and lead to cost reduction.
In addition, since the markings 41 arranged in the side crotch portions 10CH are made difficult to see immediately after the diaper 10 is first worn, the design such as the pattern or picture that decorates the appearance of the diaper is not marred. Also, the central crotch portion 10CL becomes more noticeable, so that the design arranged therein looks more impressive. At the same time, the shape of the crotch portion 10C is made neat, and the appearance of the diaper 10 itself when worn is improved.
Furthermore, in the diaper 10, the presence of the folding guide portion 61 allows the absorbent body 5 to easily conform to the skin surface of the wearer when worn. As a result, the crotch portion 10C of the diaper 10 fits snugly against the crotch of the wearer, providing a comfortable fit.

In the diaper 10, from the viewpoint of improving the above-mentioned wearing state and the subsequent deformation of the crotch portion 10C, it is preferable that the rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L is greater than that of the side absorbent portions 5H. This difference in rigidity allows the central absorbent portion 5L to easily retain its shape, firmly covering and supporting the crotch portion of the wearer, while the side absorbent portions 5H on both sides softly fit the crotch portion and the inner surfaces of the thighs.
The rigidity means the bending rigidity measured by the following method. The difference in rigidity can be imparted, for example, by making the basis weight, material, or hardness of the absorbent cores 6 constituting the central absorbent portion 5L and the lateral absorbent portions 5H different. The difference may also be imparted by making the absorbent core 6 of the central absorbent portion 5L a laminate of two or more layers and making the number of layers of the absorbent core 6 of the lateral absorbent portions 5H less than that. When the absorbent core 6 of the central absorbent portion 5L is a laminate of two or more layers, it is preferable that the folding guide portion 61 is disposed near the central absorbent portion 5L of the lateral absorbent portions 5H, which have a relatively smaller number of layers.

From the above-mentioned viewpoint, the difference between the rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L and the rigidity of the side absorbent portions 5H (the former-the latter) is preferably 10 kgf/25 mm or more, more preferably 15 kgf/25 mm or more, and even more preferably 20 kgf/25 mm or more.
In addition, the difference between the rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L and the rigidity of the lateral absorbent portions 5H (the former - the latter) is preferably 50 kgf/25 mm or less, more preferably 45 kgf/25 mm or less, and even more preferably 40 kgf/25 mm or less, from the viewpoint of avoiding excessively increasing the rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L.

(Method of measuring the rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L and the lateral absorbent portions 5H)
The rigidity of the central absorbent portion 5L and the lateral absorbent portions 5H can be measured as the bending rigidity in the width direction of the diaper, for example, by a handle-o-meter in accordance with Japanese Industrial Standard "JIS L-1096 (General Fabric Testing Method)".
A square test piece measuring 25 mm x 25 mm is cut out from each of the central absorbent portion 5L and the side absorbent portions 5H. The test piece is placed on a support table with a groove of 10 mm width so that the groove and the direction corresponding to the width direction of the diaper of the test piece are perpendicular to each other. The center of the test piece is pressed with a blade of 2 mm thickness, and the resistance value (g) when the absorbent body is pressed 8 mm is measured with a load cell.
The measurement is carried out three times using different test pieces, and the average value is taken as the measured value. The test pieces are cut out so as not to include the folding guide portion 61. If a test piece of 25 mm x 25 mm cannot be cut out, a smaller test piece may be used. In this case, the same size test pieces obtained from the central absorbent portion 5L and the side absorbent portions 5H are used, and the results of measurement with the groove width of the support stand set at 5 mm are compared.

In addition, in the diaper 10, from the viewpoint of improving the above-mentioned wearing state and the subsequent deformation of the crotch portion 10C, it is preferable that the absorption capacity of the central absorbent portion 5L is larger than that of the side absorbent portions 5H. This makes it easier for the excreted liquid to reach the side absorbent portions 5H when it is about to leak, making it easier to notify in a more timely manner the timing for replacement at a stage when the absorption capacity of the absorbent body 5 has been fully utilized. This difference in absorption capacity can be achieved, for example, by varying the basis weight of the absorbent core 6 constituting the central absorbent portion 5L and the side absorbent portions 5H, for example, the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the absorbent core 6.

From the viewpoint of making the above-mentioned stiffness and absorption capacity effects more pronounced, the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 143% or more, more preferably 170% or more, of the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the lateral absorbent portions 5H. The basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 900% or less, more preferably 615% or less, of the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the lateral absorbent portions 5H.
In the above ratio range, the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 100 g/m2 or ^more , more preferably 120 g/m2 or ^more . The basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the central absorbent portion 5L is preferably 450 g/m2 ^{or less} , more preferably 430 g/m2 or ^less .
In the above ratio range, the basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the lateral absorbent portions 5H is preferably 50 g/m2 or ^more , more preferably 70 g/m2 or ^more . The basis weight of the superabsorbent polymer material contained in the lateral absorbent portions 5H is preferably 200 g/m2 or ^less , more preferably 180 g/m2 or ^less .

Furthermore, in the diaper 10, it is preferable that the portions covering the front and back of the folding guide portion 61 of the core wrap sheet 7 covering the absorbent core 6 are joined on the front and back sides, so that the lateral absorbent portions 5H can be more easily folded starting from the folding guide portion 61 and returned to their flat state thereafter.
The form of this joining may vary depending on the form of the folding guide portion 61 of the core wrap sheet 7. For example, when the folding guide portion 61 is a through hole, it means that the portions covering the front and back of the absorbent core 6 are joined together. Also, when the folding guide portion 61 is a partial hole, or a portion with reduced basis weight, leaving the absorbent core 6, it means that the core wrap sheet 7 is joined to the portion of the absorbent core 6 in the folding guide portion 61.

In the diaper 10, from the viewpoint of further enhancing the foldability of the side absorbent portions 5H, it is preferable that a stretchable elastic body 62 is fixed in a stretched state along the longitudinal direction Y and disposed at the side edge of the side absorbent portion 5H as shown in Fig. 7. This elastic body 62 is disposed in a stretched state between the absorbent core 6 and the core wrap sheet 7, and causes the side absorbent portion 5H to contract along the longitudinal direction Y. This imparts a biasing force in a direction curving the crotch portion 10C of the diaper 10 in the longitudinal direction Y, so that the side crotch portion 10CH is lifted up more strongly against the boundary between the crotch portion and the inner side of the thigh portion.
As long as the above-mentioned action is satisfactorily exhibited, the elastic body 62 may be disposed not only between the absorbent core 6 and the core wrap sheet 7 but also on the outer surface of the core wrap sheet 7. Moreover, together with or instead of the elastic body 62, an elastic body may be disposed on the outside of the absorbent body 5, for example, between the top sheet 3 and the side sheet 9.

As described above, the diaper 10 has the marking portion 41 arranged in the side crotch portion 10CH including the side absorbent portion 5H, so that the diaper 10 can notify the wearer that it is time to change the diaper when the absorbent body 5 has fully absorbed liquid.
It is preferable that the indication 41 notifies the purchaser of the diaper of the need to replace the diaper when the diaper has absorbed more liquid than the liquid absorption performance claimed for the diaper purchaser. For example, it is preferable that the indication 41 appears when the diaper has exceeded the usage limit indicated on the package containing the diaper 10. Examples of the usage limit include upper limits for the number of urinations, the amount of urination, and the duration of wearing the diaper.

Next, the components that make up the diaper 10 can be any of those commonly used in various absorbent articles, without any particular restrictions.

The absorbent body 5 may be, for example, an absorbent core 6, such as a stack of hydrophilic fibers, a stack of hydrophilic fibers and a superabsorbent polymer material, or a stack of hydrophilic fibers, a superabsorbent polymer material, and a thermoplastic synthetic resin fiber, covered with a core wrap sheet 7. Alternatively, the absorbent body 5 may be a water-absorbent sheet in which a superabsorbent polymer material is sandwiched between a plurality of fiber sheets. Examples of the hydrophilic fibers include cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers that have been hydrophilized with a surfactant or the like as necessary. Examples of the superabsorbent polymer materials include starch-based, cellulose-based, and synthetic polymer-based polymer compounds that have the ability to absorb and retain 20 times or more of their own weight in water or physiological saline.
Examples of the core wrap sheet 7 include thin paper such as tissue paper and hydrophilic nonwoven fabric.

The top sheet 3 is made of a material that is pleasant to the touch and liquid permeable. For example, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric is preferable, and examples thereof include air-through nonwoven fabric, point-bonded nonwoven fabric, spun-bonded nonwoven fabric, spun-laced nonwoven fabric, and sheet materials made by laminating and integrating these nonwoven fabrics. The fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric are preferably polypropylene monofilaments, polypropylene and polyethylene composite fibers, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene composite fibers, etc., which have been hydrophilized. In addition, a hydrophilic perforated film or hydrophilic nonwoven fabric may be partially layered on the non-skin-contacting surface side of the top sheet 3 in the crotch area of the top sheet 3.

For the back sheet 4, a moisture-permeable film alone, a composite sheet made by bonding a film and a nonwoven fabric, or a water-repellent nonwoven fabric (SMS, SMMS, etc.) is used. From the viewpoint of cost and matching with the anti-slip adhesive, it is preferable to use a moisture-permeable film alone as the leak-proof material. In this case, the film material may be a film made by melt-kneading a thermoplastic resin and an inorganic filler that is incompatible with the thermoplastic resin and extruding the extrudate, stretching the extrudate to a specified dimension to create micropores, or a non-porous film that is inherently highly compatible with moisture and can release water vapor like a permeable membrane.

For the side sheet 9, a water-repellent nonwoven fabric is preferable, and various nonwoven fabrics that are water-repellent or have been treated to be water-repellent can be used from among spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunlace nonwoven fabric, heat-rolled nonwoven fabric, needle-punched nonwoven fabric, etc. Particularly preferably, for example, spunbond nonwoven fabric, spunbond-meltblown (SM) nonwoven fabric, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS), spunbond-meltblown-meltblown-spunbond (SMMS), spunbond-spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SSMS) nonwoven fabric, etc. are used.

The exterior body 2 is made of one or more layers of sheets, and examples of the sheets include nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, resin films, etc., made by various manufacturing methods such as air-through nonwoven fabrics, heat-rolled nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, spunbonded nonwoven fabrics, and meltblown nonwoven fabrics. In particular, those made of nonwoven fabrics are preferred from the viewpoint of improving breathability and texture, and those made of water-repellent nonwoven fabrics are preferred from the viewpoint of preventing leakage of excrement.

The various elastic bodies arranged in the diaper 10 may include, for example, synthetic rubbers such as styrene-butadiene, butadiene, isoprene, and neoprene, natural rubber, EVA, elastic polyolefins, and polyurethanes. As for the form, for example, thread-like or string-like bodies (such as flat rubber) with a rectangular, square, circular, or polygonal cross section, or multifilament type thread-like bodies may be used.

The diaper 10 of this embodiment is shown as a pants-type diaper, but is not limited to this and may be a tape-type diaper. In addition, in the diaper 10 of this embodiment, the outer body is shown as being separated into the front and rear sides, but is not limited to this and various shapes can be adopted. For example, the outer body may be shaped to cover the entire abdominal side portion 10F, crotch portion 10C and back side portion 10R of the diaper 10, and may be narrowed in the width direction at the crotch portion 10C of the diaper 10. The shape of the absorbent core 6 is also not limited to that of this embodiment and various shapes can be adopted. For example, the planar shape of the absorbent core 6 may be narrowed in the width direction X at the crotch portion 10C.

The absorbent article of the present invention includes not only the diaper of the above embodiment, but also sanitary shorts, shorts-type napkins, incontinence pants, etc. In addition, other components may be appropriately incorporated into the above configuration according to the purpose and function.

In relation to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention further discloses the following absorbent article.
＜1＞
An absorbent article comprising a vertically long absorbent body, and having a crotch portion arranged on a wearer's crotch side, a ventral portion arranged on a wearer's ventral side, and a dorsal portion arranged on a wearer's back side,
The absorbent body is disposed with its longitudinal direction directed toward the abdominal portion, the crotch portion, and the back portion, and has at least a pair of fold guide portions, which are the starting points for folding the absorbent body, at positions inward from both side edges in the longitudinal direction in the crotch portion, and the fold guide portions extend along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body;
In the crotch portion, a marking portion that follows the circumference of the wearer's legs is arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and the marking portion is located in a side crotch portion that is located outward in the width direction from the position of the folding guide portion when the non-skin-facing side of the crotch portion is viewed in a plan view,
When the absorbent article is worn, the side crotch portions fold from the fold guide portion toward the wearer's skin and are sandwiched between the wearer's crotch portions, thereby hiding the markings, and as the absorbent body absorbs excretory fluids while the absorbent article is being worn and its weight increases, the crotch portions hang down from the wearer's crotch portions and the folds in the side crotch portions loosen, revealing the markings.

＜2＞
The absorbent article according to <1>, wherein the fold guide portion is a portion in which the basis weight of the absorbent body is made lower than that of a portion other than the fold guide portion.
＜3＞
The absorbent article according to <1>, wherein the folding guide portion is a slit portion disposed in the absorbent body.
＜4＞
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein in the crotch portion, the absorbent body has a central absorbent portion divided by the fold guide portion and side absorbent portions on the left and right outer sides of the central absorbent portion, and the rigidity of the central absorbent portion is greater than the rigidity of the side absorbent portions.
＜5＞
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein in the crotch portion, the absorbent body has a central absorbent portion divided by the fold guide portion and side absorbent portions on the left and right outer sides of the central absorbent portion, and the absorption capacity of the central absorbent portion is larger than that of the side absorbent portions.
＜6＞
The absorbent article described in any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the absorbent body has an absorbent core in which absorbent material is accumulated and a core wrap sheet covering the front and back surfaces of the absorbent core, and the portions of the core wrap sheet covering the front and back surfaces of the fold guide portion are joined on the front and back.
＜７＞
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein a stretchable elastic body is fixed in a stretched state along the longitudinal direction to a side edge of a lateral absorbent portion that is outward in the width direction from the fold guide portion of the absorbent body.
＜8＞
The absorbent article is described in any one of <1> to <7>, in which the sign appears only when the absorbent article exceeds a usage limit standard indicated on a package that contains the absorbent article.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 absorbent body 11 side seal portion 12 waist opening 13 leg opening 2 exterior body 21 ventral exterior body 22 dorsal exterior body 3 top sheet 4 back sheet 41 marking portion 5 absorbent body 5L central absorbent portion 5H lateral absorbent portion 5E longitudinal side edge (widthwise edge) of absorbent body
6 absorbent core 61 folding guide section 62 elastic body 7 core wrap sheet 9 side sheet 91 elastic body 10 diaper 10F abdominal side section of diaper 10C crotch section of diaper 10CL central crotch section 10CH lateral crotch section 10R back side section of diaper 10D waist circumference section of diaper X width direction (or width direction of absorbent body, waist circumference direction)
Y: Longitudinal direction (length direction or longitudinal direction of absorbent body)

Claims (8)

An absorbent article comprising a vertically long absorbent body, and having a crotch portion arranged on a wearer's crotch side, a ventral portion arranged on a wearer's ventral side, and a dorsal portion arranged on a wearer's back side,
The absorbent body is disposed with its longitudinal direction directed toward the abdominal portion, the crotch portion, and the back portion, and has at least a pair of fold guide portions, which are the starting points for folding the absorbent body, at positions inward from both side edges in the longitudinal direction in the crotch portion, and the fold guide portions extend along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body;
In the crotch portion, a marking portion that follows the circumference of the wearer's legs is arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and the marking portion is located in a side crotch portion that is located outward in the width direction from the position of the folding guide portion when the non-skin-facing side of the crotch portion is viewed in a plan view,
When the absorbent article is worn, the side crotch portions fold from the fold guide portion toward the wearer's skin and are sandwiched between the wearer's crotch portions, thereby hiding the markings, and as the absorbent body absorbs excretory fluids while the absorbent article is being worn and its weight increases, the crotch portions hang down from the wearer's crotch portions and the folds in the side crotch portions loosen, revealing the markings. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the fold guide portion is a portion in which the basis weight of the absorbent body is made lower than the basis weight of the portion other than the fold guide portion. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the folding guide portion is a slit portion disposed in the absorbent body. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the crotch portion, the absorbent body has a central absorbent section divided by the folding guide section and side absorbent sections on the left and right outside of the central absorbent section, and the rigidity of the central absorbent section is greater than the rigidity of the side absorbent sections. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the crotch portion, the absorbent body has a central absorbent section divided by the folding guide section and side absorbent sections on the left and right outside of the central absorbent section, and the absorption capacity of the central absorbent section is larger than that of the side absorbent sections. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the absorbent body has an absorbent core in which absorbent material is accumulated and a core wrap sheet that covers the front and back surfaces of the absorbent core, and the portions of the core wrap sheet that cover the front and back surfaces of the folding guide portion are joined on the front and back. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which a stretchable elastic body is fixed in a stretched state along the longitudinal direction to the side edge of the lateral absorbent section that is outward in the width direction from the fold guide section of the absorbent body. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the indicator appears only when the absorbent article exceeds a standard limit of use indicated on the package that contains the absorbent article.

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