JP7694041B2 - Absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an absorbent article.

Diapers, which are absorbent articles, use absorbents. The absorbents absorb released bodily fluids, preventing them from leaking out of the diaper and improving the wearer's comfort (Patent Document 1). The absorbents are wrapped in multiple sheets of nonwoven fabric, and the position of the absorbents within the diaper is fixed by bonding the nonwoven fabric sheets adjacent to the absorbents together.

JP 2020-93091 A

The location where bodily fluids are released is the center of the absorbent core. This means that released bodily fluids remain around the center of the absorbent core, and in some cases the absorbent core in the center may absorb more bodily fluids than it can handle. If strong pressure is applied to the diaper in this state, bodily fluids may flow back onto the skin, making the diaper uncomfortable to wear.

The present invention provides a diaper that, when worn, forms a space at the end of the crotch part of the absorbent body, and the space communicates with the ear parts of the diaper.

Specifically, the present invention provides an absorbent article in which, when worn, a front body region located on the wearer's abdomen side, a crotch region located under the crotch, and a back body region located on the back side are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction, the absorbent article includes an absorbent body that is arranged in a gourd shape with the crotch region being a constriction, a top sheet that is arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, a cover sheet that is arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body and is formed wider than the top sheet, and a pair of side sheets incorporating a first elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction that are arranged on both sides of the top sheet in the width direction of the absorbent article and on the skin-facing side of the back sheet, and the top sheet and the pair of side sheets are not bonded to the cover sheet on the sides of the absorbent body in the crotch region.

The absorbent article may be formed such that the side of the absorbent body is laminated with the cover sheet in addition to the side sheet to stand up, and the absorbent body and the cover sheet are mutually bonded at the skin-facing end of the absorbent body.

The absorbent article can also be one in which the entire side sheet is bonded to the top sheet at the longitudinal end of the absorbent body.

Furthermore, the absorbent article may be provided with a second elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction at the widthwise end of the crotch portion of the cover sheet.

In addition, the first elastic body and the second elastic body may have different stretching forces.

In the pair of side sheets, the absorbent article may be one in which the area near the first elastic body is not laminated with the cover sheet.

The cover sheet may be folded over at both widthwise ends of the absorbent body toward the skin side so as to cover both widthwise ends from the skin side.

According to the present invention, the absorbent body can receive and absorb bodily fluids over a wider area, so bodily fluids can be absorbed efficiently over a wider area without exceeding capacity.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner pad according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of bodily fluids according to the embodiment.

Below, a diaper manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

In this embodiment, the direction connecting the front body arranged opposite the wearer's abdomen and the rear body arranged opposite the back of the replaceable inner pad (an example of the "absorbent article" in this application) is the longitudinal direction. Between the front body (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the rear body (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (the center in the longitudinal direction), the crotch part arranged under the wearer's crotch (opposed to the crotch). In addition, when the inner pad is worn by the wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "worn state"), the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is the skin-facing side, and the opposite side to the skin-facing side (the outer side when worn) is the non-skin-facing side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side is the thickness direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is the width direction. In addition, the view from the thickness direction is the planar view.

1 is a plan view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner pad according to an embodiment. The inner pad 1 has a crotch region 1B corresponding to the crotch covering the genitals of the wearer when worn, a front body region 1F located in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the front body of the wearer, and a back body region 1R located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the back body of the wearer. A gourd-shaped absorbent body 6 with a narrowed crotch portion is incorporated in the front body region 1F, the back body region 1R, and the crotch region 1B, centered on the crotch region 1B. At the ends of the front body region 1F and the back body region 1R, and in the parts without absorbent body in the short and long directions of the diaper, all sheets covering the absorbent body 6 are welded with hot melt adhesive or the like to prevent the inflow of body fluids from non-welded parts and to regulate the position of the absorbent body 6. When this inner pad 1 is attached to the inside of a tape-type diaper or pants-type diaper, the inner pad 1 absorbs bodily fluids, so even if bodily fluids are released, the diaper itself can be reused.

In addition, the inner pad 1 is provided with leg gathers 2 at the portion (widthwise end portion at the crotch portion) surrounding the wearer's legs (thighs) in order to prevent the formation of a gap between the inner pad 1 and the wearer's skin that can be a liquid outflow path. The leg gathers 2 extend in the longitudinal direction of the inner pad 1. In addition, a three-dimensional gather 3 is provided on the inner pad 1 on the inner side in the width direction of the leg gathers. The inner pad 1 follows the wearer's body shape by the elastic force of the elastic member included in the leg gathers 2, and adheres to the wearer's skin by the elastic force of the elastic member included in the three-dimensional gathers 3. The liquid discharged from the wearer is absorbed by the absorbent of the inner pad 1 without leaking out of the inner pad 1. In addition, a thread-like or strip-like rubber can be appropriately selected as the elastic member.

The inner pad 1 comprises side sheets 8 that form three-dimensional gathers 3, a center sheet 7, an absorbent body 6 with a gourd-shaped crotch area, and a cover sheet 4 with leg gathers 2, which are layered in order from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side. The absorbent body 6 is wrapped in a core wrap sheet 5 (not shown). There is no absorbent body 6 at the front and rear ends of the inner pad, and all sheets are glued together.

The side sheets 8 are made of moisture-permeable but non-hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. As mentioned above, the side sheets 8 form three-dimensional gathers 3 that adhere closely to the skin, so bodily fluids that come into contact with the side sheets 8 do not leak in the width direction of the inner pad 1, but are gradually absorbed by the absorbent body 6. The center sheet 7 is made of hydrophilic nonwoven fabric that is pleasant to the touch. It comes into contact with the skin to directly receive bodily fluids, and gradually absorbs them into the absorbent body 6. It also prevents the backflow of bodily fluids that have already been absorbed by the absorbent body 6.

The absorbent body 6 has a structure in which granular absorbent resin such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), a polymeric water-absorbing material with a cross-linked structure capable of absorbing and retaining liquid, is held in the gaps between fibers that have been hydrophilically treated, such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers that are configured like cotton wool, or synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate.

Fibers can rapidly absorb bodily fluids, but they have low retention, and when strong pressure is applied, the absorbed bodily fluids will flow back to the body surface. Conversely, polymeric absorbent materials that absorb and gel bodily fluids can strongly retain bodily fluids, but it takes a certain amount of time to absorb and gel bodily fluids. By combining fibers such as pulp that are configured like cotton with granular polymeric absorbent materials for the absorbent body 6, the polymeric absorbent material can sequentially absorb the bodily fluids that are rapidly absorbed by the fiber portion, and gel and fix them. With this configuration, the absorbent body 6 can instantly absorb bodily fluids, and does not seep out onto the skin surface due to external pressure, causing discomfort to the user.

The absorbent body 6 is wrapped in a thin core wrap sheet 5 (absorbent paper). The core wrap sheet 5 is a hydrophilic nonwoven fabric or tissue paper that is easily permeable to moisture, and has the function of wrapping and fixing the absorbent body 6 during the manufacturing process. By wrapping the absorbent body 6 in the core wrap sheet 5, it is possible to prevent the contents of the absorbent body 6 (particularly the granular polymer absorbent material) from leaking and contaminating the manufacturing line during the manufacturing of the inner pad 1. It is also possible to prevent the contents of the absorbent body 6 from moving during manufacturing, for example, by the polymer absorbent material getting into places where it has not been placed in order to efficiently disperse bodily fluids, causing the absorbent body 6 to no longer function as expected.

The cover sheet 4 is provided to suppress leakage of bodily fluids from the inner pad 1 and to reinforce and improve handling of the entire inner pad 1. For example, in order to suppress leakage of bodily fluids, a liquid-impermeable nonwoven fabric made of a thermoplastic resin can be used as the material. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The cover sheet 4 is not limited to a single-layer structure, and may be a multi-layer structure having an inner cover sheet and an outer cover sheet. Information such as the type of the inner pad 1 and the wearing direction may be printed on the non-skin-facing side of the cover sheet 4. Leg gathers 2 are incorporated on the cover sheet 4. The leg gathers 2 bias the crotch portion of the inner pad 1 to conform to the shape of the crotch. The cover sheet 4 has both widthwise ends folded back toward the skin-facing side so as to cover both widthwise ends of the absorbent body 6 from the skin-facing side. Therefore, in FIG. 1, both widthwise ends of the absorbent body 6 covered by the cover sheet 4 are shown by dashed lines.

The elasticity of the elastic members used for the leg gathers 2 and the three-dimensional gathers 3 can be different. For example, the leg gathers 2 strongly urge the inner pad 1 so that it conforms to the shape of the crotch. On the other hand, the three-dimensional gathers 3 are urged to adhere to the skin so as to prevent bodily fluids from escaping from the crotch, but if they are urged too strongly, it will cause discomfort to the wearer, so the degree of urging can be set relatively loose. Note that the inner pad 1 is an absorbent article used in conjunction with a diaper or pants, and does not need to conform to the shape of the crotch by its own force alone, so the degree of urging of the leg gathers 2 can be kept to a minimum and lower than that of the three-dimensional gathers 3.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an inner pad according to an embodiment. Specifically, it is a cross-sectional view of the inner pad 1 taken along line A-A in Figure 1. The inner pad 1 is laminated on the skin-facing side in the following order from the non-skin-facing side: back sheet 4, absorbent body 6, and center sheet 7. The absorbent body 6 is protected by a core wrap sheet 5. In the example shown in this figure, specifically, the absorbent body 6 is protected by two core wrap sheets 5A and 5B.

A side sheet 8 is placed on the side of the absorbent body 6 protected by the core wrap sheet 5. An elastic body is built into the tip of the side sheet 8, which functions as a three-dimensional gather 3 that fits closely to the skin. The side sheet 8 and the cover sheet 4 stand up on the side of the absorbent body 6, and are bonded together with the center sheet on the skin-facing side of the widthwise end of the absorbent body 6. With this configuration, bodily fluids that have flowed up to the side sheet 8 are absorbed by the absorbent body 6 directly below it, while leakage is suppressed by the side sheet 8 and the cover sheet 4. As a result, bodily fluids do not remain liquid in the side sheet 8 for a long time, improving the comfort of the inner pad 1.

The bonded side sheets 8 and cover sheet 4 are bonded so as to overlap to a certain extent with both ends of the absorbent in the width direction, but do not overlap the ends of the three-dimensional gathers 3, and the ends of the three-dimensional gathers 3 are composed only of the side sheets 8. In this way, by forming a portion of the three-dimensional gathers 3 only from the side sheets 8, it is possible to prevent leakage of bodily fluids from the three-dimensional gathers 3 while ensuring breathability that would be sacrificed due to the presence of the cover sheet 4.

The absorbent body 6 and the core wrap sheet 5 are bonded with a hot melt adhesive, and the core wrap sheet and the center sheet 7 are also bonded with a hot melt adhesive. In general, other adhesives may be used for bonding. Also, if the core wrap sheet 5 is a nonwoven fabric, heat welding may be used to bond it to other sheets.

The absorbent body is not simply a mixture of fibers and polymeric water-absorbing material, but is designed and arranged so as to properly perform the functions of an absorbent article. The absorbent body 6 in this embodiment is formed in multiple layers. Specifically, the absorbent body 6 in this embodiment is made up of two layers: a first absorbent body 6A that is present on the non-skin side and is made of SAP particles and fibers, and a second absorbent body 6B that is present on the skin side and is made of SAP particles and fibers. The first absorbent body is wider in the width direction than the second absorbent body. Furthermore, the absorbent body 6 has an interlayer SAP 6C in which SAP particles are arranged between the first absorbent body 6A and the second absorbent body 6B. In this way, by making the absorbent body into a two-layer structure, the absorbent body 6 becomes flexible and easily conforms to the skin surface.

Of the first absorbent body 6A and the second absorbent body 6B constituting the absorbent body 6, the first absorbent body 6A is wider in the width direction. When a user actually wears the inner pad 1 configured as described above, the side sheets 8 and the back sheet 4 rising from the sides of the absorbent body 6 are subjected to pressure so as to expand in the width direction. The side sheets 8 and the absorbent body 6 are bonded at the width direction end on the skin side, and pressure is also applied to the absorbent body 6 in the width direction. When the absorbent body 6 is expanded in the width direction, spaces 6D are formed on the skin side of both ends in the width direction of the absorbent body 6. Of course, the absorbent body does not necessarily need to have a layered structure, and a certain amount of space can be created by the pressure between the sheets.

As mentioned above, the elasticity of the elastic members arranged in the three-dimensional gathers 3 and the leg gathers 2 can be made different. Due to the difference in elasticity, the absorbent body 6 is pulled in the direction of the stronger elasticity. As a result, the size of the space 6D can be ensured. In addition, the center sheet 7, the cover sheet 4, and the side sheets 8 are bonded to the skin side of the widthwise end of the absorbent body 6, and the ends of the cover sheet 4 and the side sheets 8 are not bonded. For this reason, a space is created between the center sheet 7 and the cover sheet 4 at the widthwise end.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the flow of bodily fluids according to the embodiment. Bodily fluids discharged from the human body are discharged to the crotch portion 1B, and while being absorbed by the absorbent body 6, they flow in the width direction and in the direction of the side sheet 8. Bodily fluids that reach the width direction ends of the side sheet 8 and the absorbent body 6 are introduced into the space 6D. Since the cover sheet 4 is folded back to the skin side so as to cover both width direction ends of the absorbent body 6 from the skin side, the bodily fluids introduced into the space 6D do not leak out from the space 6D to the outside of the cover sheet 4. Therefore, the bodily fluids introduced into the space 6D flow through the space 6D to the ear part of the crotch and are absorbed by the ear part of the crotch. In this way, the space 6D produces the same effect as when a slot is provided at the end of the absorbent body 6. Generally, bodily fluids rarely reach the ear part of the crotch, and the absorbent body at the ear part of the crotch does not play a role. However, in this embodiment, due to the effect of the space 6D, the inner pad 1 of this embodiment can use the absorbent more efficiently and absorb more body fluids.

The features of the present invention have been described above, but the contents of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the inner pad is folded for distribution, it has multiple folds in the longitudinal direction. For example, by not bonding the layers at these folds, it is possible to create flow paths for bodily fluids not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the width direction, and the effect of the space 6D can be more effectively achieved.

In addition, although the invention has been described in this application using an inner pad as an example, the present invention can also be used in pants-type diapers and tape-type diapers that have a similar absorbent body by adjusting the configuration of the stacked sheets and the biasing body.

Reference Signs List 1: Inner pad 2: Leg gathers 3: Three-dimensional gathers 4: Cover sheet 5, 5A, 5B: Core wrap sheet 6: Absorbent body 6A: First absorbent body 6B: Second absorbent body 6C: Interlayer SAP
6D: Space 7: Center sheet HM: Hot melt

Claims (7)

An absorbent article having a front body region located on the abdomen side of a wearer in a worn state, a crotch region located between the crotch of the wearer, and a rear body region located on the back side, arranged in this order in a longitudinal direction,
An absorbent body including the crotch region and arranged in a gourd shape with the crotch region being a constriction;
A top sheet disposed on the skin side of the absorbent body;
A cover sheet is disposed on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body and is formed wider than the top sheet;
a pair of side sheets incorporating first elastic bodies extending in the longitudinal direction, the side sheets being disposed on both sides of the top sheet in the width direction of the absorbent article and on the skin-facing side of the cover sheet;
Equipped with
the top sheet and the pair of side sheets are not bonded to the cover sheet at the sides of the absorbent body in the crotch region,
The absorbent body includes a first absorbent body arranged on the non-skin side, and a second absorbent body arranged on the skin side of the first absorbent body and narrower in a width direction than the first absorbent body,
A space portion is formed on the skin side of both ends of the first absorbent body in the width direction and on the outer side of the second absorbent body in the width direction,
The skin side of the space is in contact with a water-permeable sheet.
Absorbent articles. At the side surface of the crotch region of the absorbent body, the absorbent body is laminated with the cover sheet in addition to the side sheet to stand up,
The absorbent body and the side sheet are bonded to each other at the skin-facing end of the absorbent body.
The absorbent article of claim 1. At the longitudinal end portions of the absorbent body, the entire side sheet is bonded to the top sheet.
3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2. At the widthwise end of the crotch region of the cover sheet,
a second elastic body extending in the longitudinal direction;
4. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first elastic body and the second elastic body have different elastic forces.
The absorbent article according to claim 4. In the pair of side sheets, in the vicinity of a portion where the first elastic body is present,
Not laminated with the cover sheet;
6. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The cover sheet is folded back at both widthwise ends of the absorbent body toward the skin-facing side so as to cover the both widthwise ends of the absorbent body from the skin-facing side.
7. An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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