JP7694201B2 - Absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an absorbent article.

Diapers, which are absorbent articles, are required to retain waste from the human body and prevent leakage from the diaper. Diapers are generally designed to retain waste and prevent leakage by guiding it to an absorbent that has the ability to semi-solidify fluids while regulating the movement of waste with an internal structure.

The amount, force, and direction of excretion vary, and so do the internal structures for regulating movement. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which multiple pleats are provided in the longitudinal direction of the skin-facing sheet to reduce the force of excretion, and openings are provided in the pleats to allow the excretion to move directly into the absorbent body, allowing the excretion to be efficiently absorbed by the absorbent body.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-74392

Even if waste material enters the absorbent body, it may not be able to completely kill its momentum and may flow back onto the skin surface at the end of the absorbent body. Waste material that flows back onto the skin surface may continue to flow along the skin surface, causing abdominal or back leakage.

To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a liquid storage space at the longitudinal end of the absorbent body, preventing excrement leaking from the absorbent body from flowing back onto the skin.

Specifically, the present invention is an absorbent article composed of multiple sheets that includes a crotch region from the front body region to the back body region of a wearer, and includes an absorbent body that extends in the longitudinal direction from the front body region to the back body region and is capable of absorbing waste in the crotch region, and a cover sheet that covers the skin-facing side and non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and the cover sheet has a non-adhesive region in which the skin-facing side and non-skin-facing side are not adhered to each other within a predetermined range from the longitudinal end of the absorbent body, and the space formed between the cover sheets in the non-adhesive region serves as a liquid-containing space.

The outer longitudinal end of the liquid storage space may be approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body.

The outer longitudinal end of the liquid storage space may be oblique to the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body.

The outer longitudinal end of the liquid storage space may be the furthest from the end of the absorbent body at the widthwise center of the absorbent article.

The covering sheet may be a single sheet that covers the entire absorbent body and has hydrophilic properties.

The covering sheet is composed of a skin-facing sheet laminated on the skin-facing side and a non-skin-facing sheet laminated on the non-skin-facing side, the skin-facing sheet being hydrophilic and the non-skin-facing sheet being hydrophobic, and the sheets are bonded to each other at the tip of the longitudinal end of the liquid-containing space, and the skin-facing sheet and the non-skin-facing sheet both extend from the end of the front body region to the end of the rear body region, but may have different longitudinal lengths.

The end of the front body region of the absorbent is in an area where the female part of the hook tape is present on the non-skin side, and the skin-facing side sheet is bent along the longitudinal end of the absorbent and the non-skin-facing side sheet to form the liquid storage space, and the non-skin-facing side sheet does not need to be bent along the end of the absorbent.

A hydrophobic sheet that covers the skin side may be provided near the longitudinal end, with the longitudinal end side bonded to another sheet and a pocket member with an opening in the direction of the crotch region.

The liquid storage space may be provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the pouch member.

The present invention can prevent waste from flowing back from the end of the absorbent body onto the skin surface, effectively preventing abdominal and back leakage from absorbent articles.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the diaper according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an end space not parallel to the diaper width direction. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the end space being widest at the center in the width direction. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the end space. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the end space. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an end space when a front patch is present on the non-skin facing side. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a diaper having a pocket on the skin facing side. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a diaper having a pocket on the skin facing side. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the synergistic effect of the end spaces and the pocket portions.

The following describes diapers according to embodiments of the present invention 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 longitudinal direction of a tape-type disposable diaper (an example of an "absorbent article" in this application, hereinafter simply referred to as a "diaper") is the direction connecting the front body arranged opposite the wearer's abdomen and the rear body arranged opposite the back. 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 diaper is worn by a 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 perspective view of a diaper according to this embodiment. The diaper 1 has a crotch region 1B, which corresponds to the crotch of the wearer covering the pubic area when worn, a front body region 1F, which is located in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponds to the front body of the wearer, and a back body region 1R, which is located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponds to the back body of the wearer (hereinafter referred to as the main body in this application). Tapes 2L and 2R are provided on both left and right edges of the back body region 1R, which can be attached to a front patch 2F provided on the non-wearer side surface of the front body region 1F. When the tapes 2L and 2R are attached to the front patch 2F with the front body region 1F positioned on the wearer's abdomen and the back body region 1R positioned on the wearer's back, the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in a state surrounding the wearer's abdominal circumference and thighs. Since the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in this manner, the wearer can stand and walk while wearing the diaper 1.

In the diaper 1, an absorbent capable of absorbing and retaining liquid is mainly arranged around the crotch region 1B. In addition, in order to prevent the formation of gaps between the diaper 1 and the wearer's skin that can serve as a liquid outflow path, the diaper 1 is provided with leg gathers 3AL, 3AR in the area surrounding the wearer's legs (thighs), three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR are provided on the inside of the leg gathers 3AL, 3AR in the width direction of the diaper 1, and a waist gather 3R is provided in the area surrounding the wearer's abdominal circumference. The leg gathers 3AL, 3AR, three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR, and waist gather 3R are in close contact with the wearer's skin by the elastic force of the elastic members. Therefore, liquid discharged from the wearer's genitals is absorbed by the absorbent of the diaper 1 without leaking out of the diaper 1. Note that the elastic member can be selected appropriately from thread-like or strip-like rubber.

2 is an exploded perspective view of a diaper according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the diaper 1 is composed of multiple sheets and has a complex structure. The diaper 1 has a cover sheet 4 that forms the outer surface when worn. The cover sheet 4 is a sheet-like member having a substantially rectangular appearance with constrictions 4KL and 4KR at the portions corresponding to the long sides, and forms the exterior surface of the diaper 1. The constrictions 4KL and 4KR are provided at the portions where the wearer's thighs are located. The cover sheet 4 is provided to reinforce the back sheet 5 described later and to improve the feel. For example, in order to suppress leakage of excrement, a nonwoven fabric made of a liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin can be used as the material for the cover sheet 4. Examples of liquid-impermeable 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.

The diaper 1 has a back sheet 5, an absorbent body 6, and a top sheet 7, which are laminated in order on the wearer's side of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5, the absorbent body 6, and the top sheet 7 are all sheet-like members having an approximately rectangular appearance, and are laminated in order on the cover sheet 4 with their longitudinal direction coinciding with the longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5, like the cover sheet 4, is a sheet formed from a liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin material to suppress leakage of excrement. The back sheet 5 is preferably made of a material that also has moisture permeability to suppress stuffiness when worn. The top sheet 7 is a sheet-like member that is placed on the skin side of the wearer so as to cover the water-absorbing surface of the absorbent body 6. This top sheet 7 is liquid permeable in part or in its entirety. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is worn, liquid excreted from the wearer passes through the top sheet 7, which may come into contact with the wearer's skin, into the absorbent body 6, and is absorbed there. For example, woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, and porous film can be used as materials for the top sheet 7. The top sheet 7 may be hydrophilic.

The absorbent body 6 extends in the longitudinal direction from the center of the front body region 1F to the center of the back body region 1R, including the crotch region 1B. The top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5 are an example of the covering sheet referred to in the present application. The top sheet 7 is an example of the skin-facing sheet referred to in the present application, and the back sheet 5 is an example of the non-skin-facing sheet referred to in the present application.

The back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 all extend from the front body region 1F to the rear body region 1R. Therefore, when the wearer's genitals are covered with the cover sheet 4 in which the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are laminated, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are located on the wearer's ventral side and back side. In other words, the wearer's genitals are covered by the absorbent body 6 from the wearer's ventral side to the back side. Therefore, whether the wearer is in a ventral or back-facing position when excreting liquid, the excreted liquid comes into contact with the absorbent body 6 via the top sheet 7.

The diaper 1 also has long, strip-like side sheets 8R, 8L. The side sheets 8R, 8L are liquid-impermeable sheets provided on the long sides of the top sheet 7. As with the cover sheet 4, the side sheets 8R, 8L have constrictions 8KR, 8KL at the locations where the wearer's thighs are located. Elastic members 8ER, 8EL for forming three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL are knitted into the side sheets 8R, 8L along the longitudinal direction. When the diaper 1 is worn, i.e., when the diaper 1 is U-shaped in side view, the side sheets 8R, 8L are pulled in the longitudinal direction by the contractile force of the elastic members 8ER, 8EL and rise from the top sheet 7, forming three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL that prevent liquid from leaking out.

In addition, the cover sheet 4 is provided with an elastic member 4C that prevents a gap from forming between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference, and is provided along the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 on the inner side in the width direction of the diaper 1 from the elastic members 4SL and 4SR. The elastic member 4C is provided according to the elastic force (contractile force) required for the design of the diaper 1.

The absorbent 6 is a sheet with a thickness that can absorb waste. The absorbent 6 has a structure in which granular absorbent resin such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), a hydrophilic polymer with a cross-linked structure that can absorb and retain water, is held in the gaps between fibers that have been hydrophilically treated, such as cellulosic fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers, or synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. Therefore, in the absorbent 6, the volumetric change of the absorbent resin before and after absorbing liquid basically occurs within the short fibers that hold the absorbent resin in the gaps. Therefore, when looking at the entire absorbent 6, it can be said that the expansion rate of the thickness of the absorbent 6 that has absorbed liquid is not as large as the expansion rate of the absorbent resin itself.

In this embodiment, SAP particles refer to a resin composition containing SAP in a granular form. The term "resin composition containing SAP" as used herein is a concept that encompasses both a composition consisting of SAP alone and a composition that contains SAP as the main component and contains other substances to the extent that they do not adversely affect water absorption. Examples of "other substances" include additives (such as surface modifiers added to make the particle surface hydrophobic), unreacted monomers remaining during the synthesis of SAP, etc.

The absorbent 6 may be wrapped in a core wrap sheet 6R, not shown in the figure. The core wrap sheet 6R is a water-permeable sheet made of a nonwoven fabric formed from pulp fibers such as tissue paper or thin resin fibers, and covers the entire absorbent 6 to maintain the shape of the absorbent 6 and prevent the SAP particles from scattering into other structures. In addition, because it is water-permeable, it does not prevent urine from passing from the skin side into the absorbent 6. The core wrap sheet 6R is also an example of a covering sheet as referred to in this application.

3 is a plan view of a diaper according to an embodiment. In this figure, the upper direction is the rear body region 1R, which is provided with tapes 2R and 2L having hook-and-loop fasteners from the widthwise ends.
The top sheet 7 is provided with side sheets 8R, 8L on the left and right in the width direction. Elastic members 8ER, 8EL are knitted into the center of the width direction of the side sheets 8R, 8L, and the elastic members 8ER, 8EL rise from the top sheet 7 by the contractile force of the elastic members 8ER, 8EL to form three-dimensional gathers 8BR, 8BL. A front patch 2F is adhered to the non-skin facing side of the front body region 1F, and hook-and-loop fasteners of tapes 2R, 2L can be attached.

The absorbent body 6 covered with another sheet extends from the middle part of the rear body region 1R, through the inside of the three-dimensional gathers in the crotch region 1B, to the middle part of the front body region 1F. The absorbent body 6 is bonded to the other sheet that covers it with hot melt or the like. When the other sheets are the top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5, the other sheets are bonded together with hot melt or the like in the areas where the absorbent body 6 is not present.

Within a predetermined range from both ends of the absorbent 6 in the longitudinal direction, there is an end space 6E, which is a non-adhesive region where the absorbent 6 does not extend and other sheets are not adhered to each other. The end space 6E is an example of a liquid storage space as referred to in this application. In this figure, the outer end of the end space 6E in the longitudinal direction of the diaper is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the diaper. The wearer's excreta passes through the top sheet 7 and reaches the absorbent 6, where it is absorbed and gelled inside the absorbent 6. However, if the force of the excreta is strong or the amount is large, the excreta may overflow from the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6 before gelling in the absorbent 6, and may pass through the top sheet 7 again at that position and return to the skin side. The excreta that returns to the skin side causes discomfort to the wearer. In addition, if the force of the excreta is strong, the excreta may further exceed the side gathers 3R and cause abdominal leakage or back leakage.

In this regard, if the end space 6E exists as shown in this figure, the excrement overflowing from the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6 is temporarily stored in the end space 6E before passing through the top sheet 7 again and returning to the skin side. It is rare for a large amount of excrement to be generated continuously with force, and most of the excrement stored in the end space 6E is reabsorbed by the absorbent 6 in a short time without passing through the top sheet 7 again. In this way, the existence of the end space 6E makes it possible to prevent excrement overflowing from the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6 from returning to the skin side again.

Figure 4 is a plan view of an end space that is not parallel to the diaper width direction. In this figure, the end of the end space 6E in the longitudinal direction of the diaper is saw-shaped. In other words, the outer end of the end space 6E in the longitudinal direction of the diaper is oblique to the longitudinal direction of the diaper. If the force of the excreta is strong, the excreta may flow in a straight line in the longitudinal direction through part of the absorbent body 6 and reach the end. Even if such excreta is guided to the end space 6E, the force of the excreta may not be sufficiently weakened, and it may pass through the top sheet 7 again and return to the skin-facing side.

In this figure, therefore, the outer end of the end space 6E in the longitudinal direction is made oblique to the longitudinal direction of the diaper. A hot melt adhesive is applied to the non-skin-facing side of the top sheet 7, and it is more difficult for the excreta to pass over the top sheet 7 and leak from the absorbent body side to the skin-facing side again than to move from the skin-facing side to the absorbent body side. For this reason, the excreta that reaches the end space 6E first spreads inside the end space 6E and tries to fill the end space 6E. Here, since the longitudinal end of the end space 6E is oblique to the longitudinal direction of the diaper, the excreta that flows in a straight line in the longitudinal direction through part of the absorbent body 6 and reaches the end changes direction to fill the end space 6E with its oblique longitudinal end. The change in flow direction weakens the momentum of the excreta, so the possibility that the excreta will pass through the top sheet 7 again at the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 and flow back to the skin-facing side can be reduced.

5 is a plan view showing the end space 6E at its widest point at the widthwise center. In this figure, the end of the end space 6E in the longitudinal direction of the diaper is the furthest from the end of the absorbent body 6 at the widthwise center of the diaper. Therefore, the end space 6E has a substantially isosceles triangular shape with the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 as its base and the longitudinal direction of the diaper as its apex.

The most common position that a diaper wearer takes is lying on their back, and waste is discharged along the midline of the body. When the wearer is lying on their back or on their stomach, waste flows longitudinally through the widthwise center of the absorbent body 6, and depending on the amount and force of waste, it may reach the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6, flow from the widthwise center into the end space 6E, and be temporarily stored there.

When the diaper wearer is in another position, such as lying on their side, the location where the waste flows into the end space 6E may not be the center in the width direction, but in this case the flow rate of the waste is regulated and reduced by the three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL, etc. For this reason, the possibility of the waste reaching the end space 6E is low. Therefore, it can be said that the place where the waste is most likely to flow into the end space 6E is the center in the width direction, and the diaper shown in this figure has the widest space in this area, so a large amount of waste can be effectively stored.

Furthermore, the excrement that reaches near the apex of the end space 6E is sufficiently decelerated in the process. The excrement changes flow along the way, flows through the equilateral portion, and returns to the absorbent body 6, where it is reabsorbed. This sufficiently reduces the possibility that the excrement will pass through the top sheet 7 again and flow back to the skin side.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an end space. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an end space 6E, cut longitudinally near the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6. The right side of the figure is the crotch direction, and the left side is the end direction. The upper side of the figure is the skin side, and the lower side is the non-skin side. The absorbent 6 is wrapped in a core wrap sheet 6R, and a water-permeable, soft-touch top sheet 7 is laminated on the skin side, and a water-impermeable back sheet 5 is laminated on the non-skin side. A cover sheet 4 is further laminated on the non-skin side of the back sheet 5.

The absorbent body 6 and the core wrap sheet 6R, and the core wrap sheet 6R and the top sheet 7 and back sheet 5 are each bonded with a hot melt adhesive or the like. In the end direction where the absorbent body 6 is not present, the top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5 are directly bonded with a hot melt adhesive or the like. The absorbent body 6 is wrapped in the core wrap sheet 6R, which is further wrapped in the top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5, forming a multi-covered structure.

The top sheet 7 and back sheet 5 have different longitudinal lengths, but are aligned and bonded at their longitudinal ends. On the other hand, within a certain range from the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6, the two sheets are not bonded. This allows play in either sheet in that region. This play becomes a certain space (i.e., end space 6E) beyond the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6.

In the example shown in this figure, the end of the core wrap sheet 6R is extended from the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 to the end space 6E, and the space surrounded by the top sheet 7, back sheet 5, and core wrap sheet 6R is the end space 6E. In the configuration shown in this figure, there is no sheet between the absorbent body 6 and the end space 6E. Therefore, excreta that flows inside the absorbent body 6 and reaches the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 easily flows into the end space 6E without being obstructed by other sheets, and is easily reabsorbed by the absorbent body 6.

Furthermore, two sheets, the core wrap sheet 6R and the top sheet 7, are present in the skin-facing direction of the end space 6E, and both sheets are bonded with a hot melt adhesive or the like. In order for the excrement that has flowed into the end space 6E to leak to the skin-facing side, it must pass through the two sheets bonded with a hot melt adhesive or the like, even though they are hydrophilic. Therefore, this configuration can effectively prevent the excrement from flowing back from the end space 6E to the skin-facing side. Note that, since the back sheet 5 and the cover sheet 4 are hydrophobic, the excrement that has reached the end space 6E does not flow to the non-skin-facing side of the diaper.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an end space. Like Figure 6, this figure is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the end space 6E, cut longitudinally near the end of the absorbent body 6. As with Figure 6, this figure also shows that the end space 6E is formed by play caused by the difference in longitudinal length between the top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5. In the example shown in this figure, the core wrap sheet 6R is bonded to the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 without any gaps. Therefore, the end space 6E is a space enclosed by the top sheet 7 and the back sheet 5.

In the example shown in the figure, the waste material that flows through the inside of the absorbent body 6 and reaches the longitudinal end of the absorbent body 6 is sufficiently decelerated as it passes through the core wrap sheet 6R, so that when it is stored in the end space 6E, it does not have a speed that is fast enough to pass through the top sheet 7 and flow backwards. It is also possible that the waste material will be blocked by the core wrap sheet 6R and will not flow into the end space 6E in the first place.

In the configuration shown in this figure, the end space 6E is formed between the top sheet 7, the core wrap sheet 6R, and the back sheet 5. The back sheet 5 is non-permeable, so excrement does not penetrate it. In addition, comparing the core wrap sheet 6R with the top sheet 7, the core wrap sheet 6R is thinner and more easily permeable to moisture. Therefore, excrement stored in the end space 6E eventually passes through the core wrap sheet 6R and reaches the absorbent body 6 again, where it is absorbed. Therefore, even if the configuration shown in Figure 7 is adopted, the end space 6E can provide the same effect as in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an end space when a front patch is present on the non-skin side. This figure is a cross-sectional view showing the structure near the end space 6E where the front patch 2F is present on the non-skin side, and is a longitudinal cut near the end of the absorbent 6. The front patch 2F is disposed on the non-skin side of the front body region, and is a hook tape female part to which tapes 2R, 2L can be attached, which have hook-and-loop fasteners protruding widthwise from near the end of the rear body region. On the skin side of the front patch 2F, the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6 and the end space 6E exist.

In the configuration shown in Figures 6 and 7, the top sheet 7 and back sheet 5 are each bent and bonded to each other beyond the end space 6E. This creates a step on the non-skin-facing side of the diaper 1. However, if a front patch 2F is placed on the non-skin-facing side at this position, a step also appears on the non-skin-facing surface of the front patch 2F. If an attempt is made to attach the hook-and-loop fasteners provided on tapes 2R and 2L to the step portion, there is a risk that the engagement force between the hook-and-loop fastener fastening portion will be insufficient.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, the back sheet 5 does not bend at the end of the end space 6E, and only the top sheet 7 bends in the non-skin facing direction and adheres to the back sheet 5 beyond the end space 6E. With this embodiment, the front patch 2F is adhered to the flat back sheet 5 (and the cover sheet 4), so the function of the front patch 2F is not impaired.

Conventionally, the position of the front patch 2F has been limited to a position where the absorbent 6 is layered on the skin side so that the step that appears at the end of the absorbent 6 does not affect the function of the front patch 2F. In the form shown in this figure, the front patch 2F can be freely changed without being influenced by the position of the absorbent 6.

Furthermore, it has been customary to bend the top sheet 7 along the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6. However, in this case, a problem arises that a step is formed on the skin side at the position. This step gives a sense of discomfort to the wearer's skin and may cause skin trouble. Here, the diaper 1 according to the present application is provided with an end space 6E at the end of the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6. The end space 6E that does not store excrement is hollow inside and can freely change its shape. Therefore, the top sheet 7 is bent along the skin side at the position where the end space 6E exists. Therefore, the end space 6E reduces the step formed at the longitudinal end of the absorbent 6, and a diaper that is comfortable to wear can be provided.

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of a diaper with a pocket on the skin-facing side. A pocket (pouch) can be further provided on the skin-facing side of the longitudinal end of the diaper 1. The pocket can be provided in either or both of the front body region and the rear body region. The diaper 1 in this figure has a pocket member 11 in the rear body region and a pocket member 12 in the front body region. The pocket members 11 and 12 are hydrophobic.

The pocket members (pouch members) 11, 12 are provided on the skin-facing side near the longitudinal ends of the diaper 1, and their widthwise ends are bonded to the side sheets 8R, 8L. Furthermore, they are bonded to all adjacent sheets, including the top sheet 7, on the longitudinal end side. Note that all the originally stacked sheets are bonded to the longitudinal end side, and the pocket members 11, 12 are additionally bonded together with all the stacked sheets.

Figure 10 is a plan view of a diaper with a pocket on the skin side. At the longitudinal center of the pocket members 11, 12, only the widthwise ends are bonded to the side sheets 8R, 8L, and are not bonded to the top sheet 7. As described above, the elastic members 8ER, 8EL are incorporated at the widthwise center of the side sheets 8R, 8L. The widthwise center of the side sheets 8R, 8L rises due to the biasing force of the elastic members 8ER, 8EL to form the three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL. At the position where the pocket members 11, 12 are bonded to the side sheets 8R, 8L, the elastic members 8ER, 8EL are not present, and the three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL are not formed, but the biasing force of the elastic members 8ER, 8EL still exists, and the widthwise center end is raised. Therefore, the pocket members 11, 12 are pushed up by the widthwise center end of the side sheets 8R, 8L, and become pocket-shaped with an opening on the crotch region 1B side.

Even if the amount of excrement is large or the force is strong enough that it cannot be absorbed by the absorbent body 6 and reaches the longitudinal end, the excrement will enter the pocket-shaped space formed by the pocket members 11, 12 and the top sheet 7. The excrement that enters the pocket-shaped space is temporarily held between the hydrophobic pocket members 11, 12 and the hydrophobic back sheet 5 and does not flow any further toward the longitudinal end, and is gradually absorbed into the absorbent body 6. This effectively prevents excrement from leaking to the back or abdomen.

The pocket members 11, 12 may be provided on either of the longitudinal ends of the diaper 1. As mentioned above, the most common posture that a diaper wearer takes is lying on their back, in which waste material tends to flow vigorously toward the rear body region. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the pocket member 11 in the rear body region 1R. If the wearer is male and the urethral contact position is close to the front body region, waste material may reach the front body region 1F with great force, so it is meaningful to also provide the pocket member 12 in the front body region 1F.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the synergistic effect of the end space and the pocket portion. This figure shows the front body region 1F of the diaper 1 as viewed from the skin-facing side of the crotch region 1B. As described above, the widthwise center of the longitudinal center of the pocket member 12 is not bonded to other sheets, and a pocket-like space is formed between the pocket member 12 and the top sheet 7 by the biasing force remaining in the side sheets 8R, 8L constituting the three-dimensional gathers 3BR, 3BL. However, since there is no elastic member in the side sheets 8R, 8L at the position where the pocket member 12 is bonded, the pocket member 12 cannot be reliably raised to form a pocket-like space having an opening on the crotch region 1B side.

If the crotch region 1B side of the pocket-like space is not open (contacting another sheet on the non-skin side), and excrement flows over the top sheet 7 without being absorbed by the absorbent 6 and reaches the longitudinal end, the excrement may get between the pocket member 12 and the skin side. As mentioned above, the pocket member 12 is hydrophobic and cannot absorb excrement, so the excrement reaches the longitudinal end as is. For this reason, if the crotch region 1B side of the pocket member 12 is not open properly and the force of the excrement is strong, it is more likely to induce abdominal leakage.

In this embodiment, an end space 6E is provided between the entrance of the pocket-like space and the end of the absorbent body 6 as shown in the figure. On the skin-facing side of the end space 6E, there is a space below the top sheet 7 (or, in some embodiments, the top sheet 7 and the core wrap sheet 6R), and the excreted material easily passes through the top sheet 7 and is stored in the end space 6E. If the force of the excreted material is strong, it may pass through the top sheet 7 again at the end of the end space 6E and overflow onto the skin-facing side, but the overflow location will be in the pocket-like space formed between the pocket member 12 and the top sheet 7.

Therefore, even if the entrance to the pocket-like space on the crotch region 1B side is not open, by providing the end space 6E, waste material can be guided into the pocket-like space via the end space 6E. Waste material that flows into the pocket-like space does not flow any further toward the longitudinal end side, and is gradually absorbed into the absorbent body 6. Due to this mechanism, in this embodiment, the pocket-like space can be made to function effectively regardless of whether the crotch region 1B side is open or not.

Although the embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention has been described above, the contents of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the pocket members 11 and 12 are described as non-biased, non-permeable sheets, but an elastic member can be woven into the pocket members 11 and 12 to function as waist gathers. Since the pocket portion is closest to the skin, by forming the pocket members 11 and 12 into waist gathers, waist gathers that fit closely to the skin can be realized, and abdominal leakage and back leakage can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, the contents of the present invention can be applied not only to tape-type diapers, but also to pants-type diapers and pad-type absorbent articles.

The embodiments and application examples disclosed above can be combined with each other.

Reference Signs List 1: Diaper 1R: Rear body region 1B: Crotch region 1F: Front body region 2R, 2L: Tapes 2F, 2F1, 2F2: Front patch 3BL, 3BR: Three-dimensional gathers 4: Cover sheet 5: Back sheet 6: Absorbent body 6R: Core wrap sheet 6E: End space 7: Top sheet 8R, 8L: Side sheets 11, 12: Pocket members

Claims (7)

An absorbent article comprising a plurality of sheets, the absorbent article including a crotch region from a front region to a rear region of a wearer,
an absorbent body extending in a longitudinal direction from the front body region to the rear body region and capable of absorbing exudates in the crotch region;
A cover sheet for covering the skin side and non-skin side of the absorbent body;
With
the covering sheet has a non-adhesive region in which the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side are not adhered to each other in a further predetermined range from the longitudinal end of the absorbent body, and a space formed between the covering sheets in the non-adhesive region serves as a liquid-containing space;
The covering sheet includes a skin-facing sheet laminated on the skin-facing side and a non-skin-facing sheet laminated on the non-skin-facing side,
The skin-facing sheet is hydrophilic,
The non-skin-facing sheet is hydrophobic,
The ends of the liquid receiving space are bonded to each other at the longitudinal ends thereof,
The end of the front body region of the absorbent body is located in a region where the female part of the hook tape is located on the non-skin side,
the skin-facing side sheet is bent along a longitudinal end of the absorbent body and the non-skin-facing side sheet to form the liquid storage space,
The non-skin facing sheet does not bend along the edge of the absorbent body.
Absorbent articles. The outer end of the liquid storage space in the longitudinal direction is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body.
The absorbent article of claim 1. The outer end of the liquid storage space in the longitudinal direction is oblique to the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2. The outer end of the liquid storage space in the longitudinal direction is farthest from the end of the absorbent body at the center in the width direction of the absorbent article.
An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The skin - facing side sheet and the non-skin-facing side sheet both extend from an end of the front body region to an end of the rear body region, but have different longitudinal lengths.
An absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A hydrophobic sheet covering the skin side is provided near the longitudinal end portion, the longitudinal end portion being bonded to another sheet, and a pocket member having an opening in the direction of the crotch region is provided.
The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The liquid storage space is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the pouch member.
The absorbent article of claim 6 .

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