JP7778014B2 - Tape-type disposable absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tape-type disposable absorbent article.

Disposable diapers generally have side rising gathers that protrude toward the body and extend in the front-to-rear direction on both sides of the width of the surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By providing such side rising gathers, body waste is trapped between the two side rising gathers, preventing leakage of body waste, particularly from around the wearer's legs.

On the other hand, disposable diapers for adults in particular are commonly used with pads that are replaced after a certain amount of use. To replace the pad, the wearer lies on their back, removes the fastening tape, and unfolds the abdominal portion.
In the case of a baby's underwear, when checking for excretion, the fastening tape is removed while the wearer is lying on his/her back and the abdominal portion is unfolded.

When the fastening tape is removed and the abdominal portion is unfolded in this way, as shown in Figure 6, urine or loose stools that could not be absorbed by the absorbent core may flow to the front edge along the wrinkles in the absorbent core caused by foot and buttock pressure while wearing the diaper, and leak from the front edge, soiling the bedding. See symbol Q.

In addition, when the fastening tape is removed and the abdominal section is unfolded, the abdominal section unfolds outward on both sides, causing the rising gathers that stand up towards the wearer while wearing the garment to flatten out and lie flat, making it more likely for fluid to leak over the rising gathers and to leak from the sides.

Furthermore, these phenomena tend to be more pronounced the thinner and less rigid the absorbent material is.

Patent No. 6764360

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tape-type disposable absorbent article that prevents or reduces leakage from the front when the fastening tape is removed and the abdominal portion is unfolded.

Representative aspects of the present invention that solve the above problems are as follows:

<Representative aspects>
A tape-type disposable absorbent article having an absorbent body, a liquid-permeable sheet provided on the front side of the absorbent body, a liquid-impermeable sheet provided on the back side of the absorbent body, and fastening tapes provided on both sides of the back side and connected to the outer surface of the ventral side portion,
The absorbent article has a back portion and a ventral portion in the longitudinal direction thereof,
Furthermore, side rising gathers that rise toward the wearer are provided on both sides of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction,
At least, an expansion/contraction means is provided at a position from the longitudinal center of the absorbent article toward the ventral side, corresponding to the rising portions of the side rising gathers, along the width direction and across at least a part of the position of the absorbent body.
A tape-type disposable absorbent article characterized by:

When an expansion/contraction means is provided at a front-to-back position corresponding to the rising portion of the side rising gathers from the longitudinal center of the absorbent article toward the ventral side, along the width direction and across at least a portion of the position of the absorbent body, a contraction force acts to contract the absorbent body in the width direction.
At this time, the tip ends of the side rising gathers rise due to the longitudinal contraction force. Therefore, the contraction force of the expansion/contraction means that tries to contract the absorbent body in the width direction acts to deform and protrude the absorbent body in the back surface direction, which is opposite to the rising direction due to the contraction force of the side rising gathers.
As a result, the abdominal portion of the absorbent article that is closer to the abdominal side from the longitudinal center thereof protrudes toward the back surface. Furthermore, as the abdominal portion protrudes toward the back surface, the distance between the tip ends of the side rising gathers and the surface of the abdominal portion increases.
Due to the relationship between these contractile forces, a pocket is formed in the vicinity of the stretchable means on the ventral portion.

Even if urine or loose stool that could not be absorbed by the absorbent remains on the top sheet, this waste enters the pocket and is prevented from migrating to the front edge of the abdominal portion. Furthermore, as a result of the tip of the side rising gathers being spaced further away from the top sheet (i.e., the pockets being deeper in the lateral direction), the lateral movement of waste is prevented, and side leakage beyond the tip of the side rising gathers is eliminated or suppressed.

As described above, the present invention offers advantages such as preventing or suppressing leakage from the front when the fastening tape is removed and the abdominal portion is unfolded.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner surface side of the tape-type disposable diaper in an unfolded state. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface side of the tape-type disposable diaper in an unfolded state. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape-type disposable diaper in a state where the diaper is in a substantially natural length before use. FIG. 10 is a schematic partial perspective view showing leakage of excrement from the abdominal portion of a conventional example. 1 is a partial plan view of a disposable diaper according to a first embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state, viewed from the outer surface side; FIG. 2 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a form for preventing leakage of excrement from the abdominal portion in the first embodiment. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view showing another side rising gather. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a disposable diaper according to another embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state, as viewed from the outer surface side. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of the outer surface side of a disposable diaper in an unfolded state according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a disposable diaper in a different embodiment in an unfolded state, as viewed from the outer surface side. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a disposable diaper in a further embodiment in an unfolded state, as viewed from the outer surface side.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, among the hot melt adhesive bonding locations, those deemed necessary for explanation are indicated by diagonal lines in the plan views and by dotted patterns in the cross-sectional views.
The tape-type disposable absorbent article of the present invention includes disposable diapers for adults, particularly tape-type disposable diapers used in combination with pads, as well as disposable diapers for infants.

<Example of disposable diapers>
Figures 1 to 4 show an example of a tape-type disposable diaper for adults having a front-to-back direction LD and a width direction WD. This disposable diaper has an absorbent body 3 interposed between the inner surface of a liquid-impermeable sheet 1 and a liquid-permeable top sheet 2.
The diaper also has a back portion B, a front portion F, and a crotch portion C that is constricted inward in the width direction to correspond to the crotch area of the wearer. The center LC of the tape-type disposable diaper in the front-to-back direction LD is generally designed to be approximately the same as the center LC of the crotch portion C in the front-to-back direction LD.

(Absorbent)
The absorbent body 3 may be any known absorbent body having a basic structure of a single or multiple fiber aggregate layers made of pulp fiber stacks, filament aggregates such as cellulose acetate, or nonwoven fabric, with particulate or other high-absorbency polymers optionally mixed into the fiber aggregate layers, fixed to the fiber aggregate layers or surfaces, or interposed between the fiber aggregate layers. While the illustrated absorbent body 3 has a single-layer structure, it may also have a two-layer structure consisting of a lower absorbent body and an upper absorbent body laminated thereon. If necessary, the absorbent body 3 may be wrapped in crepe paper (not shown). The shape of the absorbent body 3 may be determined as desired, but suitable shapes include an hourglass shape (a waisted shape) in which the width of the middle portion in the front-to-back direction (LD) including the crotch area is narrower than the front and rear portions, as well as a rectangular shape extending from the front to the back of the crotch area, as shown in the figure. The pulp weight in the absorbent body 3 is preferably about 100 to 500 g/ ^m2 and the thickness is about 1 to 15 mm. The highly absorbent polymer weight is preferably about 0 to 300 g/ ^m2 . If the content of highly absorbent polymer is too low, sufficient absorption capacity cannot be achieved, while if the content is too high, the pulp fibers will not be entangled, making them prone to twisting and cracking.

(Liquid-impermeable sheet)
The liquid-impermeable sheet 1 extends outward from the periphery of the absorbent body 3 and prevents excrement absorbed by the absorbent body 3 from moving to the reverse side. As the liquid-impermeable sheet 1, in addition to plastic films such as polyethylene films, sheets that are moisture-permeable without impairing water-blocking properties can also be used to prevent stuffiness. This water-blocking and moisture-permeable sheet can be, for example, a microporous sheet obtained by melt-kneading an inorganic filler into an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene to form a sheet, and then stretching the sheet in a uniaxial or biaxial direction. The weight per unit area of the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 is preferably 13 to 40 g/ ^m2 , and the thickness is preferably 0.01 to 0.1 mm.

To give the outer surface of the diaper a cloth-like appearance and feel, the entire back surface of the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 is covered with an outer sheet 12, and the outer edges of both sheets 1 and 12 extend to the outer edge of the diaper. Various types of nonwoven fabrics can be used as the outer sheet 12, but spunbond nonwoven fabric is preferred. The outer sheet 12 can also be omitted.

(Top sheet)
The top sheet 2 may be made of a perforated or non-perforated nonwoven fabric or a perforated plastic sheet. The material fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric may include synthetic fibers such as olefin-based fibers (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene), polyester-based fibers, and amide-based fibers, as well as regenerated fibers (e.g., rayon or cupra), and natural fibers (e.g., cotton). The nonwoven fabric may be processed using known methods such as spunlace, spunbond, SMS, thermal bond, meltblown, needle punch, air-through, and point bond. The nonwoven fabric used for the liquid-permeable top sheet 2 preferably has a fiber basis weight of 15 to 30 g/ ^m2 and a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm.

The top sheet 2 extends outward from the periphery of the absorbent body 3, and the portion extending outward from the side edges of the absorbent body 3 is fixed to the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 with a hot melt adhesive or the like.

(Side gathers)
1 and 4, the outer root portions 4x in the width direction WD of the side rising gather sheets 4s constituting the side rising gathers 4 are attached over the entire front-to-back direction LD to both side edges of the inner surface of the article (in the illustrated embodiment, the surfaces of the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 extending laterally from the side edge surfaces of the top sheet 2). The side rising gather sheets 4s can be made of various nonwoven fabrics (spunbond nonwoven fabrics are preferred), as well as plastic films similar to those used in liquid-impermeable sheets, or laminated sheets thereof, but in terms of feel to the skin, nonwoven fabrics that have been subjected to a water-repellent treatment are preferred.

The protruding portions 4c of the side rise-up gathered sheet 4s at the center in the width direction WD are fixed in a collapsed state at both ends in the front-to-rear direction LD to the inner surface of the article (the surface of the top sheet 2 in the illustrated embodiment) by means of a hot melt adhesive or the like, forming fixed portions 4e. In contrast, the longitudinal intermediate portions between the front and rear fixed portions 4e are unfixed, forming rise-up portions 4f that rise freely toward the wearer's skin due to deformation when the diaper is worn. The reference numeral 40 in Figure 1 etc. indicates the boundary between the rise-up portions 4f and the fixed portions 4e.
At least the tip portion of the gathered sheet 4s (the end portion toward the center in the width direction WD when unfolded) has a two-layer structure folded back at the center in the width direction WD, and an elongated elastic member 4G is fixed between the layers at least at the tip portion of the raised portion 4f with a hot melt adhesive or the like in a state stretched along the front-to-back direction LD.

In the illustrated example, multiple elastic members 4G are provided at predetermined intervals, but a single elastic member may be used. The elastic member 4G (and other elastic members) can be made of commonly used materials such as natural or synthetic rubber in the form of thread, string, or strip, specifically styrene rubber, olefin rubber, urethane rubber, ester rubber, polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, styrene butadiene, silicone, or polyester. As a result of the contractile force of the elastic member 4G, the raised portion 4f rises toward the inner surface of the article (the surface of the top sheet 2 in the illustrated embodiment), as shown in FIG. 4. The base end 4b of the raised portion 4f is located at the boundary between the fixed portion 4x and the protruding portion 4c on the outer side of the side raised gathers 4 in the width direction WD. Note that the diagonally upward-slanted right portion in FIG. 1 indicates the fixed portion of the side raised gathers 4, and the diagonally upward-slanted left portion indicates the fixed portion of the waist gather sheet 30, which will be described later.

At both ends of the disposable diaper in the front-to-rear direction LD, the liquid impermeable sheet 1, outer sheet 12, liquid permeable top sheet 2, and side rising gathered sheets 4s extend further to the front and rear than the front and rear ends of the absorbent body 3, forming end flap portions EF where the absorbent body 3 is not present. On the other hand, at both left and right ends of the disposable diaper, the liquid impermeable sheet 1, outer sheet 12, liquid permeable top sheet 2, and side rising gathered sheets 4s extend further to the sides than the side edges of the absorbent body 3, forming side flap portions SF where the absorbent body 3 is not present. The portions of the side flap portions SF located at the waist side of the abdominal portion F and the waist side of the dorsal portion B extend further to the sides than the crotch portion C, which has the edge Le of the leg openings, and these portions form the waist area of the diaper.

(Gathered waistband)
On the other hand, the back portion B (rear end portion: end flap portion EF in the illustrated example) of the disposable diaper in the illustrated form is provided with waist rising gathers 30 rising from the inner surface of the diaper (the surface of the top sheet 2 in the illustrated form).
As shown by the diagonally upward left-hand shaded area in Figure 1, the waist rise-up gathers 30 have a base portion 33 on the waist side joined to the surface of the top sheet 2 by a joining means such as a hot melt adhesive, and have this base portion 33 and a protruding portion 34 protruding from this base portion 33 towards the middle side in the longitudinal direction LD.
Both end portions of the protruding portion 34 in the width direction WD are sandwiched between the top sheet 2 and the side rising gathered sheet 4s and joined to both sheets by joining means such as a hot melt adhesive.
In the illustrated embodiment, the projecting portions 34 of the waist rising gathers 30 and the overlapping portions of the rising portions 4f of the side rising gathers 4 are joined together, but they may be unjoined.

The illustrated waist rise gathers 30 have a two-layer structure in which the waist rise gather sheet 32 is folded back, and an elongated waist rise gather elastic member 31 is fixed between the layers at least at the tip end (the end on the crotch side) of the protruding portion 34 with a fixing means such as a hot melt adhesive while stretched in the width direction WD. In the illustrated example, multiple waist rise gather elastic members 31 are provided at predetermined intervals, but a single member may also be used. As a result of the contractile force of the elastic member 31, this protruding portion 34 rises from the diaper surface (the surface of the top sheet 2 in the illustrated embodiment) as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the base end of this rising protruding portion 34 is located at the boundary with the root portion 33 of the waist rise gathers 30.

Furthermore, behind the waist rise-up gathers 30 in the back portion B (in the illustrated example, the end flap portion EF, which is the end on the waist side), a waist stretchable portion 40 is provided, the middle portion of which in the width direction WD is elastically stretchable in the width direction WD.

In the illustrated example, the waist stretchable portion 40 is provided only in the center of the width direction WD, but it can also be provided throughout the width direction WD or only on both sides of the width direction WD, and it is preferable that it be provided symmetrically with respect to the width direction center line WC.
More specifically, the base portion 33 of the waist rise gathers 30 has a two-layer structure in which the waist gather sheet 30 is folded back, and an elongated elastic member 41 is fixed between these layers by a fixing means such as a hot melt adhesive while stretched along the width direction WD. This elastic member 41 may be a single piece, but it is preferable to provide a plurality of pieces at predetermined intervals as in the illustrated example.
By providing the waist stretchable section 40, the end of the waist side of the back portion B of the diaper is elastically pressed against the wearer's back, making it less likely that a gap will form between the diaper and the wearer's back.

(flat gathers)
In the middle of the side flap portions SF in the front-to-back direction LD, elongated elastic members 7 are fixed in a stretched state along the front-to-back direction LD between the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 and the outer sheet 12 with a hot melt adhesive or the like, and so-called flat gathers are formed in the side flap portions SF by contraction of the elastic members 7. These flat gathers allow the sides of the diaper to elastically stretch and contract, allowing them to fit around the legs.

The number of elastic members 7 on each side can be determined as appropriate, but approximately 1 to 10, more preferably 3 to 8, is appropriate. If multiple elastic members are used, the spacing between them should be approximately 2 to 15 mm, and especially 6 to 10 mm. Each elastic member 7 can be made of commonly used materials such as styrene rubber, olefin rubber, urethane rubber, ester rubber, polyurethane, polyethylene, polystyrene, styrene butadiene, silicone, or polyester, formed into thread, string, or strip shape. The thickness should be approximately 500 to 1500 dtex, and in the case of natural rubber, approximately 0.1 to 3 mm, especially 0.5 to 3 mm. The elongation of each elastic member 7 when fixed is preferably approximately 150 to 250%.

(Fastening tape)
The side flaps SF of the back section B are fitted with fastening tapes 5 projecting from their respective side edges, and a front target 6 is attached to the waist area surface of the ventral section F along the width direction WD. When putting the diaper on the body, the fastening tapes 5 on both sides are wrapped around the waist from each side to the outer ventral surface and fastened to the front targets 6, with the diaper in place. The front target 6 can be omitted, in which case the fastening tapes 5 are fastened directly to the outer surface of the diaper (the outer sheet 12 in the illustrated embodiment). Since a nonwoven fabric is used for the outer surface of the diaper, the fastening tapes 5 can be fastened by engaging the hook members (male members) 9 of the fastening tapes 5 with the fibers of the nonwoven fabric.

3, the fastening tape 5 has a fixing portion 5f fixed between the sheets in the waist-side side flap portion SF of the back portion B by means of a hot melt adhesive or the like, and a protruding portion 5e protruding outward in the width direction WD from between the sheets at the side edge of the side flap portion SF, the protruding portion 5e having a tip portion 5p and a main portion 5b on the base end side of the tip portion 5p. Hook members 9, 9 (male members of a mechanical fastener (hook-and-loop fastener)) having a number of hook-shaped protrusions on their surface are attached to the inner surface of the tip portion 5p of the fastening tape 5 as connecting portions for connecting to a front target 6, and a member 6 (female member of a mechanical fastener (hook-and-loop fastener)) having a surface to which the hook-shaped protrusions are detachably hooked is attached as the front target 6.
As mentioned above, the material of the outer surface of the diaper itself (e.g., nonwoven fabric) can be used instead of the front target 6, or an adhesive layer can be used instead of the hook material 9, and a resin tape with a smooth surface that is highly adhesive can be used as the front target 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fastening tape 5 has perforations 10 extending along the width direction WD from the outer edge in the width direction WD at the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction LD to the inside of the main body portion 5b. By cutting along these perforations 10, the tape can be separated into upper and lower sections, each of which includes a fixing portion, main body portion, tip portion, and connecting portion, as shown in FIG. 9. Instead of using perforations 10, the tape may be separated in advance by cutting or other methods. Such a fastening tape 5 can be detachably connected to the front target 6 of the ventral portion F with the upper and lower sections crossing each other. Of course, this is not limited to this two-section type, and can also be applied to other known fastening tapes, such as types that do not have two sections.

When using the disposable diaper configured as described above as an outer layer and placing an absorbent pad on its surface, the waist rising gathers 30 are lifted and the absorbent pad (not shown) is inserted between the waist rising gathers 30 and the top sheet 2.

The absorbent pad 50 used in conjunction with the disposable diaper described above is not particularly limited, and any known absorbent pad can be used without particular limitation, such as those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-068852 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-245304.

On the other hand, when attention is paid to the abdominal portion F of the disposable diaper, the following is true.
As described above, in disposable diapers for adults or disposable diapers for infants, it is relatively common for the wearer to undo the fastening tape while lying on their back and unfold the abdominal portion F.

When the fastening tape 5 is removed and the abdominal portion F is unfolded in this way, as shown in Figure 6, for example, urine or loose stool that could not be absorbed by the absorbent body 3 may flow to the front end of the abdominal portion F along the wrinkles in the absorbent body 3 caused by foot and buttock pressure while wearing the diaper, and leak from that front end, soiling the bedding. This is conceptually indicated by the symbol Q.

Furthermore, when the fastening tape 5 is removed and the abdominal portion is unfolded, the abdominal portion unfolds outward on both sides, so the rising gathers 4 that stand up towards the wearer while wearing the garment become flattened and lie flat, making it more likely that fluid will leak over the rising gathers 4 and to the sides.

To address this issue, in an embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, an expansion/contraction means 20 is provided at least at a position in the front-to-rear direction corresponding to the rising portion of the side rising gathers, from the center of the longitudinal direction LD of the absorbent article (disposable diaper) toward the abdominal side, along the width direction WD, and across at least a portion of the position of the absorbent core 3.

In the examples shown in Figures 7 to 10, a thin strip-shaped elastic member (such as so-called rubber thread) is used as the expansion/contraction means 20, which is interposed between the impermeable sheet 1 and the outer sheet 12 and fixed to at least the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 of the liquid-impermeable sheet 1 and the outer sheet 12 by an appropriate fixing means (such as a hot-melt adhesive) across the entire width of the absorbent body 3.

In the above embodiment, contraction of the expansion and contraction means 20 acts as a contraction force that tends to contract the absorbent body 3 in the width direction.
At this time, as typically shown in FIG. 9, the tip end of the side rising gathers 4 rises in the direction indicated by the white arrow due to the contraction force in the front-to-rear direction.
In the embodiment, the contraction force of the expansion/contraction means 20 that attempts to contract the absorbent body 3 in the width direction acts to deform the absorbent body 3 and bring it closer to the wearer 's skin in the area where the expansion/contraction means 20 is located.
The contractile force at the tip ends of the side rising gathers 4 causes the tip ends of the side rising gathers 4 to rise so as to increase the distance from the surface of the top sheet 2, and the contractile force at the tip ends of the side rising gathers 4 (a force that acts to shorten the distance in the front-to-back direction) acts toward the center from the area where the expansion/contraction means 20 is disposed, and as a result, it becomes a force that deforms the absorbent body 3 so as to push it toward the back surface, forming a pocket P, so to speak, toward the center from the area where the expansion/contraction means 20 is disposed (see Figures 8 and 9). This shape (particularly the S-shaped deformed shape shown in Figure 9) typically appears when the fastening tape is removed and the abdominal portion is unfolded so as to open outward on both sides.
It should be noted that the base end 4b of the side rising gather 4 on the right side of FIG. 8 is shown in a folded-back state.

Thus, even if urine or loose stool that could not be absorbed by the absorbent body 3 remains on the top sheet, this waste Q1 will enter the pocket P and be prevented from migrating to the front end of the abdominal portion F. Furthermore, as a result of the tip end of the side rising gathers 4 being spaced further away from the top sheet, that is, as shown in pocket P in Figure 9, the depth in the lateral direction up to the base end 4b of the gathers 4 in longitudinal cross section is increased, preventing the lateral movement of waste Q1 and preventing or suppressing lateral leakage beyond the tip end of the side rising gathers 4.

In addition to the above examples, the side rising gathers 4 may also be of the so-called Z-fold type, as shown schematically in Figure 10(b).

As in the embodiment, the number of expansion and contraction means 20 in the front-to-rear direction LD may be 2, or may be 1, 3 or more. Furthermore, it is not essential that the expansion and contraction means 20 cross the entire width of the absorbent body 3, and as shown in Figure 11, they may be provided separately on both side portions.
The position of the expansion/contraction means 20 in the front-to-rear direction LD may be from the center in the longitudinal direction LD toward the ventral side, and may be any position in the front-to-rear direction that corresponds to the rising portion 4f of the side rising gathers 4, but is not limited thereto, and is preferably located in the crotch region C. The region from the crotch region C to the ventral region F is a wide region, and is also a particularly wide region of the absorbent body 3, making it difficult for the absorbent body 3 to deform in the longitudinal cross section. Therefore, it is preferably located in the crotch region C, where the absorbent body 3 can deform easily in the longitudinal cross section.

On the other hand, as explained above, the side rising gathers 4 have base ends 4b of rising portions 4f at positions outside the side edges of the absorbent body 3 from the middle in the longitudinal direction LD to the abdominal portion F, as shown by the diagonally shaded portion slanting upward to the right in Figure 1.
The reason for this position is to allow the side rising gathers 4 to rise easily by themselves without deforming the absorbent body 3, which has a certain degree of rigidity.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the flat gather elastic member 7 is positioned outward from the base end 4b of the raised portion 4f, allowing it to stretch in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, a more desirable positioning of the stretching means 20 is one in which its end does not intersect with the flat gather elastic member 7.

In this embodiment, the front target 6 is provided on the outer surface of the abdominal portion F. In this embodiment, the position of the stretchable means 20 is preferably formed at a position in the front-to-back direction corresponding to the rising portions 4 f of the side rising gathers 4, not overlapping with the area of the front target 6, and closer to the abdominal side between the longitudinal centers of the crotch portion C.
That is, since the front target 6 also has a certain degree of rigidity, it is desirable that the absorber 3 does not overlap with the area of the front target 6 in order to facilitate deformation of the absorber 3 .
If the expansion means 20 were positioned so as to overlap with the area of the front target 6, wrinkles would occur in the front target 6 as the expansion means 20 contracted, preventing the fastening tape 5 from being attached to the front target 6.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, multiple stretchable means 20 are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction. In this case, it is desirable that the stretchable means 20 at the end of the abdominal portion F (the upper end of Figure 7) have a higher elongation rate than the stretchable means 20 at the longitudinal center of the crotch portion. In this embodiment, the stretchable means 20 at the end of the abdominal portion F (the upper end of Figure 7) contracts more strongly, causing the pocket portion P to protrude more strongly toward the back side.

In order to exert the contraction function over the entire width of a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction LD, as shown in Figure 12, an expansion/contraction means 20A in which a plurality of elastic members 21b extending along the width direction of a base sheet 21a are integrated in a stretched state can be interposed and fixed, for example, between the impermeable sheet 1 and the exterior sheet 12.

Also, as shown in Figure 13, the expansion/contraction means 20B may be provided so that its center bulges out toward the edge of the abdominal portion F (the upper end in Figure 7). In this configuration, the pocket portion P also protrudes more strongly toward the back surface.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 14, easily deformable portions 3a selected from the group consisting of slits, grooves, and embossments are formed along the width direction of the absorbent body 3, and at least a portion of these easily deformable portions 3a can be located within 10 mm in the front-to-back direction of the fixed portions of the expansion and contraction means 20, 20A, and 20B.
It is well known that forming slits, grooves or embossments in the absorbent body 3 makes the absorbent body 3 more easily deformable, and these aspects are not shown in the drawings.
Contraction of the expansion/ contraction means causes the easily deformable portion 3a to deform, and the pocket portion P projects more strongly toward the rear surface side.

Since the sizes of disposable diapers vary depending on the type, such as for infants or adults, the positions of the expansion/ contraction means 20, 20A, 20B cannot be indicated in absolute dimensions. However, if the overall size is substituted by, for example, the distance d1 between the side edges of the rising portions 4f, 4f of the side rising gathers 4, 4 in the unfolded state in FIG. 1, then the distance d2 between the boundary 40 (the boundary between the rising portion 4f and the fixed portion 4e) and the positions of the expansion/contraction means 20, 20A, 20B is preferably such that d2/d1 is in the range of (0.2 to 2.0), and more preferably is in the range of (0.5 to 1.4).

The present invention is suitable for tape-type disposable diapers, as in the above example, and is not limited to those used in combination with pads.

B...dorsal portion, C...crotch portion, F...ventral portion, LD...front-to-back direction, WD...width direction, 1...liquid-impermeable sheet, 2...top sheet, 3...absorbent body, 3a...easily deformable portion, 4, 4X...side rising gathers, 4f...rising portion, 5...fastening tape, 6...front target, 9...hook material, 10...perforation, 12...outer sheet, 20, 20A, 20B... elasticity means, 30...waist rising gathers, 40...boundary.

Claims (7)

A tape-type disposable absorbent article having an absorbent body, a liquid-permeable sheet provided on the front side of the absorbent body, a liquid-impermeable sheet provided on the back side of the absorbent body, and fastening tapes provided on both sides of the back side and connected to the outer surface of the ventral side portion,
The absorbent article has a back portion and a ventral portion in the longitudinal direction thereof,
Furthermore, side rising gathers that rise toward the wearer are provided on both sides of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction,
an expansion/contraction means is provided at least at a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to the rising portions of the side rising gathers from the longitudinal center of the absorbent article toward the ventral side, along the width direction, and across at least a part of the position of the absorbent body;
The stretchable means are provided in a plurality at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the stretchable means at the end of the abdominal portion has a higher elongation rate than the stretchable means at the longitudinal center of the crotch portion.
A tape-type disposable absorbent article characterized by: The absorbent body has easily deformable portions along the width direction selected from the group consisting of slits, grooves, and embossments,
2. The tape-type disposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the easily deformable portion has a central portion extending along the width direction, a left portion extending diagonally rearward from the left end of the central portion and intersecting with the elastic means, and a right portion extending diagonally rearward from the right end of the central portion and intersecting with the elastic means. A tape-type disposable absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a front target is provided on the outer surface of the abdominal portion, and the elastic means is positioned between the front target and the longitudinal center of the crotch portion, toward the abdominal side. The tape-type disposable absorbent article of claim 1 or 2, wherein d2/d1 is 0.5 to 1.4, where d1 is the distance between the side edges of the raised portions of the side rising gathers in the unfolded state, and d2 is the distance between the front ends of the raised portions of the side rising gathers and the end where the elastic means is disposed. A tape-type disposable absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stretchable means is an elastic member integrated in a stretched state along the width direction of the base sheet. A tape-type disposable absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic means is provided so that its central portion bulges toward the abdominal side. The absorbent article has longitudinally opposite side portions, on which side rising gathers that rise toward the wearer are provided, and flat gathers are provided outside the rising regions of the side rising gathers,
3. A tape-type disposable absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of said elastic means is positioned so as not to extend beyond the outer side of said flat gathers.