JP7634142B2 - Absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an absorbent article equipped with an individually wrapped sheet.

Absorbent articles generally consist of a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet. In the case of light incontinence products in particular, the back sheet side is fixed to the underwear when used.

However, the task of removing an absorbent article from an undergarment must be performed with both hands, which makes the task difficult when the individual package of the new absorbent article is being held.
In addition, when replacing an absorbent article, many people wrap the used absorbent article in the individual packaging of a new absorbent article and throw it away. Since the individual packaging of a new absorbent article is used at that time, there may be no place to put the new absorbent article until the individual packaging is peeled off from the absorbent article and the used absorbent article is wrapped and thrown away. Even if there is a stand in the toilet stall, it is troublesome that the slip prevention tape sticks, and placing it with the skin side down is unhygienic. For this reason, people temporarily stick it to their own body or gently place it on their lap so that it does not fall, but in that case, there is a possibility that the adhesive power of the slip prevention tape will weaken or that it will slide down to the floor when they move.

Some people also wrap used absorbent articles in toilet paper rather than individually wrapping them before throwing them away, but rolled up used absorbent articles tend to open up more easily than if they were individually wrapped, which can be unpleasant for cleaners and the next person to use them. Also, by wrapping absorbent articles multiple times in toilet paper to prevent them from opening up, the articles become bulky and are more likely to fill up trash cans.

As a prior art for absorbent articles to solve such problems, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an absorbent article package having a packaging sheet for individually packaging absorbent articles, and an adhesive tape having one end releasably attached to the surface of the packaging sheet and the other end joined to the longitudinal end of the packaging sheet, the adhesive tape being configured such that a first adhesive layer, a first substrate, a second adhesive layer, and a second substrate are laminated in this order, the first adhesive layer is configured to abut against the non-facing surface of the packaging sheet, a connecting portion is provided to connect the first substrate and the second substrate, the second adhesive layer is joined to the second substrate and releasably attached to the first substrate, and the second substrate and the second adhesive layer are configured to peel from the first substrate and be folded back from the connecting portion to expose the second adhesive layer. This invention proposes that the absorbent article package can be attached to the wall of a toilet or the wearer's body via the second adhesive layer of the absorbent article package, making it easy to wear the absorbent article using both hands.

JP 2013-198586 A

However, absorbent articles such as those in Patent Document 1 have the risk of falling off when the packaging body is temporarily attached to a wall or the body, and this does not provide a fundamental solution.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an individually packaged absorbent article that can be easily put on and taken off hygienically when replacing the individually packaged absorbent article, that is easy to dispose of after use, and that also has concealment properties.

The inventors conducted extensive research and discovered that by providing an individually packaged sheet that is adhered via an adhesive layer to the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet, and further providing adhesive layers in two locations, one on the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet and the other on the skin contacting side of the individually packaged sheet, it is possible to hygienically and easily put on and take off the individually packaged absorbent article when replacing it, and it is also possible to easily dispose of the used absorbent article and to create an individually packaged absorbent article that also has concealment properties, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems and leading to the completion of the present invention.
Specifically, the present invention provides the following:

(1) A first aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, an absorbent body between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an individually packaged sheet on the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet, wherein the individually packaged sheet is adhered to the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet via an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer including a central adhesive layer and a peripheral adhesive layer, the central adhesive layer being provided in a substantially rectangular central region on the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet, the peripheral adhesive layer being provided on the periphery of a region on the skin contacting side of the individually packaged sheet that is in contact with the central adhesive layer, and a release agent being applied to both the region on the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet excluding the central adhesive layer and the region on the skin contacting side of the individually packaged sheet that is in contact with the central adhesive layer.
(2) A second aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (1), characterized in that a pair of liquid-impermeable side sheets are provided on the skin-contacting side of the top sheet and on both ends of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction.
(3) A third aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the individually wrapped sheet is made of a film, paper, nonwoven fabric, or a laminate thereof.
(4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that the release agent is a silicone-based release agent or a fluorine-based release agent.

The present invention provides individually packaged absorbent articles that can be easily and hygienically worn when replacing them, that are easy to dispose of after use, and that also have concealment properties.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y ₁ -Y ₁ in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the non-skin contact side of the backsheet in the absorbent article of the present invention. 2 is a plan view of the skin contact surface side of an individually wrapped sheet in the absorbent article of the present invention. FIG. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing the replacement process of the absorbent article of the present invention.

The following describes in detail the form for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, "embodiment") with reference to the drawings. However, these are presented for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In the description of this specification, the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 refers to the direction extending from the front to the back of the wearer when the absorbent article 1 is worn, and is the direction indicated by the symbol X in the drawings. The width direction of the absorbent article 1 refers to the direction horizontal to or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is the direction indicated by the symbol Y in the drawings. Furthermore, the skin-contacting surface refers to the surface of each of the front and back surfaces of the absorbent article 1 that faces the skin of the wearer when worn, and the non-skin-contacting surface refers to the surface of each of the front and back surfaces of the absorbent article 1 that faces the opposite side to the skin of the wearer (underwear side) when worn. Furthermore, examples of the absorbent article 1 include light incontinence products and sanitary napkins in particular.

<Absorbent Articles>
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the top sheet 10 side, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line _Y1 - _Y1 in Fig. 1. The absorbent article 1 of the present invention includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 10 and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 20, an absorbent body 30 between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20, and an individually packaged sheet 40 on the non-skin contact side of the back sheet 20.
The absorbent article 1 preferably has a longitudinal dimension of 100 mm to 800 mm and a width dimension of 50 mm to 500 mm. By having each dimension within the above numerical ranges, it is possible to obtain an absorbent article 1 suitable for use as a light incontinence product or a sanitary napkin.

1 and 2, the absorbent article 1 may be provided with a pair of three-dimensional gathers 80 having elastic members for three-dimensional gathers on the top sheet 10 along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 in order to prevent side leakage of bodily fluids excreted by the wearer. The three-dimensional gather sheet is arranged so that the outer ends of the three-dimensional gathers 80 in the width direction of the absorbent article 1 are fixed to the back sheet 20, the inner ends are fixed to the top sheet 10, and the centers are free ends that are not fixed to the top sheet 10. By providing the elastic members for three-dimensional gathers along the longitudinal direction, the three-dimensional gathers 80 have the ability to stand up and can be deformed to fit the body shape of the wearer.
As the elastic member for the three-dimensional gathers, for example, a thermal bonded nonwoven fabric, a spunbonded nonwoven fabric, a polyethylene film, or a sheet obtained by combining and bonding these sheets, etc. From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the three-dimensional gathers 80 is preferably 13 g/m2 or ^more and 20 g/ ^m2 or less.

In addition, in order to facilitate the attachment of the peripheral adhesive layer 52 to the top sheet 10 when the absorbent article 1 described below is wrapped and discarded after use, a pair of liquid-impermeable side sheets 70 are preferably provided on the skin-contacting surface side of the top sheet 10 and on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1. The longitudinal dimension of each side sheet 70 is preferably 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

<Top sheet>
The top sheet 10 may be formed from a substrate having liquid permeability that allows urine to move to the absorbent 30, and may be, for example, a known hydrophilic nonwoven fabric such as a thermal bonded nonwoven fabric or a spunbonded nonwoven fabric. The top sheet 10 may be embossed or perforated on the surface in order to improve liquid permeability. As a method for carrying out the embossing or perforation, any known method may be used without limitation. In order to reduce irritation to the skin, the top sheet 10 may contain a lotion, an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory component, a pH adjuster, an antibacterial agent, a moisturizer, or the like.
From the standpoints of strength, processability, and liquid return, the basis weight of the top sheet 10 is preferably 15 g/m ² to 40 g/m ² , and more preferably 19 g/m ² to 35 g/m ^2. There are no particular limitations on the shape of the top sheet 10, but it may have any shape that covers the absorbent body 30 and is necessary to guide bodily fluids to the absorbent body 30 without leakage.

<Back seat>
The backsheet 20 may be formed using a liquid-impermeable substrate so that the body fluids held by the absorbent 30 do not wet clothing, and a plastic film such as a liquid-impermeable polyethylene film, which may be breathable or non-breathable, may be used.

From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the back sheet 20 is preferably 15 g/m2 or ^more and 60 g/ ^m2 or less, and more preferably 20 g/ ^m2 or more and 40 g/ ^m2 or less. In order to provide the back sheet 20 with breathability, for example, a filler may be blended into the resin film of the substrate, or the back sheet 20 may be embossed. An example of the filler is calcium carbonate, and the blending method may be a known method without any restrictions.

<Absorbent>
In the absorbent article 1 of the present invention, the maximum width dimension in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 30 is preferably 100 mm to 800 mm, and more preferably 150 mm to 500 mm. The maximum width dimension in the width direction of the absorbent body 30 is preferably 50 mm to 500 mm, and more preferably 70 mm to 105 mm.

(Absorbent Fiber)
The absorbent body 30 contains absorbent fibers as a base material and a superabsorbent polymer (SAP).
The absorbent fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used in absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, paper diapers, and urine pads, and examples thereof include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, etc. Among these, fluff pulp is preferably used from the viewpoint of absorbency. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (e.g., coniferous bleached kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine and Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, resin fiber, non-wood pulp, etc., which are defibrated into a cotton-like state. When fluff pulp is used as the absorbent fiber as the base material for the absorbent body 30, the basis weight of the absorbent fiber is preferably 100 g/m ² or more and 800 g/m ² or less, and more preferably 325 g/m ² or more and 615 g/m ² or less. This allows more body fluid to be absorbed without impairing the feel on the skin.

(Superabsorbent polymer)
There are no particular limitations on the superabsorbent polymer of the absorbent body 30 as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and it is possible to use materials formed from sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymer, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymer, saponification products thereof, etc. Among these, sodium polyacrylate is preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight.
Furthermore, in the absorbent body 30, the ratio of the weight of the superabsorbent polymer to the weight of the entire absorbent body 30, i.e., weight of superabsorbent polymer/weight of the entire absorbent body 30 x 100 (%), is preferably 40% or more, and more preferably 40% or more and 70% or less.

In the absorbent body 30, the absorbent fibers and SAP may be in the form of a mixture of SAP particles in absorbent fibers, or an SAP sheet with SAP particles fixed between absorbent fibers. A carrier sheet (not shown) may be provided under the absorbent body 30 to prevent leakage of the SAP particles and stabilize the shape of the absorbent body 30. The base material of the carrier sheet may be any material that has hydrophilicity, and examples of the base material include hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics such as tissue, absorbent paper, and airlaid nonwoven fabrics. When multiple carrier sheets are provided, the base materials of the multiple carrier sheets may be the same or different.

<Individually wrapped sheets>
In the absorbent article 1 of the present invention, an individual packaging sheet 40 is provided on the non-skin contacting surface side of the back sheet 20. The individual packaging sheet 40 is adhered to the non-skin contacting surface side of the back sheet 20 via an adhesive layer 50. In this case, it is preferable that the longitudinal dimension of the individual packaging sheet 40 is 100 mm or more and 400 mm or less, and the width dimension is 50 mm or more and 200 mm or less. By having each dimension within the above numerical range, it is possible to obtain an absorbent article 1 that is easy to replace, as described below.
In addition, the adhesive layer 50 is provided by applying a hot melt adhesive, and as the hot melt adhesive, a synthetic rubber-based hot melt adhesive such as a styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer or a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer, or an olefin-based hot melt adhesive such as an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, having a melting point of 100°C or more and 180°C or less, can be used.

In this case, the adhesive layer 50 includes a central adhesive layer 51 and a peripheral adhesive layer 52. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the non-skin contact side of the back sheet 20 in the absorbent article 1 of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 3, the central adhesive layer 51 is provided in a substantially rectangular area in the center on the non-skin contact side of the back sheet 20. It is preferable that the longitudinal dimension of the central adhesive layer 51 is 80 mm or more and 350 mm or less, and the width dimension is 30 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the skin contact side of the individual packaging sheet 40 in the absorbent article 1 of the present invention, and as shown in Figure 4, the peripheral adhesive layer 52 is provided on the outer periphery of the area of the skin contact side of the individual packaging sheet 40 that contacts the central adhesive layer 51. The width of the peripheral adhesive layer 52 is preferably 3 mm or more and 15 mm or less in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.

By providing the adhesive layer 50 (central adhesive layer 51 and peripheral adhesive layer 52) in this manner, when the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet 20 and the skin contacting side of the individually packaged sheet 40 are bonded together, the peripheral adhesive layer 52 is provided to surround the outer periphery of the central adhesive layer 51.
It is preferable that the central adhesive layer 51 and the peripheral adhesive layer 52 are provided continuously over one surface of a specified region, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. However, if there is no problem with the adhesive strength, multiple discontinuous, approximately rectangular adhesive layers may be combined and provided so as to cover the specified region without excess or deficiency (not shown).

The method for providing the central adhesive layer 51 and the peripheral adhesive layer 52 is not particularly limited as long as it is a known method for providing an adhesive layer on the surface of a film, paper, or nonwoven fabric, and known methods such as the curtain coat method or spiral method in which molten hot melt adhesive is applied from a nozzle in a non-contact manner, or the slot method in which it is applied in a contact manner can be used.
The replacement operation of the absorbent article 1 having such an individual packaging sheet 40 and an adhesive layer 50 will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the individual packaging sheet 40 is peeled off from the new absorbent article 1, the peeled off individual packaging sheet 40 is turned over and attached to the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet 20 of the new absorbent article 1. At this time, the non-skin contacting side of the back sheet 20 and the skin contacting side of the individual packaging sheet 40 (which was the non-skin contacting side before being turned over) are adhered via the central adhesive layer 51, and the peripheral adhesive layer 52 is exposed to the non-skin contacting side of the individual packaging sheet 40 (which was the skin contacting side before being turned over).

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a new absorbent article 1 is attached to the skin contact side of the used absorbent article 2 that is attached (glued) to the underwear 90. At this time, the new absorbent article 1 is attached to the used absorbent article 2 via the outer peripheral adhesive layer 52 exposed on the non-skin contact side of the individually wrapped sheet 40. Thereafter, the used absorbent article 2 is removed from the underwear 90 with the new absorbent article 1 still attached.

5(c), the new absorbent article 1 and the used absorbent article 2 are folded in half with the used absorbent article 2 facing inward while still attached to each other. At this time, the folding direction may be either the lengthwise direction or the widthwise direction, but from the viewpoint of ease of folding, folding in the lengthwise direction is preferable.
5(d), the individual packaging sheet 40 of the new absorbent article 1 is peeled off, and the used absorbent article 2 is wrapped in the individual packaging sheet 40. As a result, the used absorbent article 2 is folded while still wrapped in the individual packaging sheet 40 of the new absorbent article 1, and the new absorbent article 1 is in a state in which the central adhesive layer 51 is exposed on the non-skin contact surface side of the back sheet 20.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 5(e), after the used absorbent article 2 and the new absorbent article 1 are separated, the used absorbent article 2 is discarded, and the new absorbent article 1 is attached by attaching the central adhesive layer 51 to the underwear 90.

In this way, according to the individually packaged absorbent article 1 of the present invention, a new absorbent article 1 having a central adhesive layer 51 can be attached to one side of the individually packaged sheet 40, and a used absorbent article 2 can be attached to the other side of the individually packaged sheet 40, making it easy to remove and put on the two absorbent articles. This eliminates the need to temporarily attach or place one absorbent article in a different location, making the work more efficient. In addition, since the individually packaged sheet 40 (peripheral adhesive layer 52) of the absorbent article 1 is attached to the soiled side (top sheet 10 side) of the absorbent article 2, it also has concealing properties, making it possible to remove the absorbent article 2 in a hygienic manner.

The individual packaging sheet 40 is preferably a film, paper, nonwoven fabric, or a laminate thereof, and among these, a film or paper is more preferable.
From the standpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the individual packaging sheet 40 is preferably about 15 g/m ² or more and 30 g/m ^{2 or less} in the case of film or nonwoven fabric, and about 30 g/m ² or more and 70 g/m ² or less in the case of paper.

A release agent is applied to both the region on the non-skin contacting surface side of the back sheet 20 excluding the central adhesive layer 51 (non-adhesive region 60 shown in FIG. 3 ) and the region on the skin contacting surface side of the individual packaging sheet 40 that comes into contact with the central adhesive layer 51 (non-adhesive region 61 shown in FIG. 4 ). By applying the release agent, when the individual packaging sheet 40 is peeled off from the back sheet 20, the central adhesive layer 51 remains reliably on the non-skin contacting surface side of the back sheet 20 and the peripheral adhesive layer 52 remains on the skin contacting surface side of the individual packaging sheet 40, making it easier to replace the absorbent article 1. The release agent is preferably a silicone-based release agent or a fluorine-based release agent.
In addition, when peeling off the individual packaging sheet 40 of the new absorbent article 1 in Figure 5 (d) and wrapping the used absorbent article 2 in the individual packaging sheet 40, it is preferable that a release agent is also applied to one side of the individual packaging sheet 40 that does not contact the skin, in order to make it easier to peel off the new absorbent article 1 from the individual packaging sheet 40 (not shown).

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments and examples. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that forms incorporating such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1, 2 Absorbent article 10 Top sheet 20 Back sheet 30 Absorbent body 40 Individually wrapped sheet 50, 51, 52 Adhesive layer 60, 61 Non-adhesive region 70 Side sheet 80 Three-dimensional gather 90 Underwear

Claims (3)

An absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, an absorbent body between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an individual packaging sheet on a non-skin contact side of the back sheet,
the individual packaging sheet is adhered to the non-skin contact surface side of the back sheet via an adhesive layer,
The adhesive layer includes a central adhesive layer and a peripheral adhesive layer,
The central adhesive layer is provided in a generally rectangular region at the center of the non-skin contact surface of the back sheet,
the peripheral adhesive layer is provided on the outer periphery of a region on the skin contact surface side of the individual packaging sheet that contacts the central adhesive layer,
a release agent is applied to an area of the back sheet other than the central adhesive layer on the non-skin contacting surface side and an area of the individually wrapped sheet in contact with the central adhesive layer on the skin contacting surface side ,
A pair of liquid-impermeable side sheets are provided on the skin contact surface side of the top sheet and on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,
The absorbent article is characterized in that the individual packaging sheet is intended to be attached to the skin-contacting surface of the absorbent article after use, with the outer peripheral adhesive layer exposed on the non-skin-contacting surface . 2. The absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein the individual wrapping sheet is a film, paper, nonwoven fabric, or a laminate thereof. 3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the release agent is a silicone-based release agent or a fluorine-based release agent.