CN112955101B

CN112955101B - Tampon

Info

Publication number: CN112955101B
Application number: CN201880098962.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 野口顺一; 田村竜也
Original assignee: Unicharm Corp
Current assignee: Unicharm Corp
Priority date: 2018-10-29
Filing date: 2018-10-29
Publication date: 2022-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-29
Also published as: JP7143438B2; JPWO2020089980A1; CN112955101A; WO2020089980A1

Abstract

Provided is a tampon which can increase the absorption rate of menstrual blood, is excellent in safety to the body by using natural fibers, and can suppress fluffing of the natural fibers. An absorbent body (20) of a tampon (10) comprises an absorbent layer (30) having water-absorbent fibers (31), and a coating layer (40) formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric that coats the absorbent layer (30). The coating layer (40) contains natural fibers (41), a plurality of recesses (60) are formed in the entire region of the absorber (20), the plurality of recesses (60) extend from the coating layer (40) into the absorber (20), the natural fibers (41) have a fiber length greater than the separation distance between the recesses (60) adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction (Y), and the water-absorbent fibers (31) of the absorbent layer (30) and the natural fibers (41) of the coating layer (40) are entangled with each other in the recesses (60).

Description

Tampon

Technical Field

The present invention relates to tampons.

Background

Tampons have been known in the past. For example, patent document 1 discloses a tampon having an absorbent body having liquid absorption properties and a string for pulling out the absorbent body from the vaginal cavity. The absorbent body has an absorbent layer and a hydrophobic and liquid-permeable covering layer covering the entire absorbent layer. Patent document 2 discloses a sanitary article using natural fibers cultivated in an organic (organic) manner without agricultural chemicals.

Documents of the prior art

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-8964 (P2001-8964A)

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2006-150010 (P2006-150010A)

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the tampon disclosed in patent document 1, a plurality of concave portions extending inward are formed on the surface of the absorbent layer of the absorbent body, so that the absorption rate of menstrual blood is increased, the amount of color remaining on the surface of the tampon is reduced, the appearance of the tampon taken out after use is not deteriorated, and there is no fear of giving a user a sense of discomfort.

However, since the plurality of concave portions are formed only in the absorption layer of the absorber and not in the clad layer covering the absorption layer, the absorption area on the surface of the absorber does not change. Further, since the coating layer is hydrophobic, the transfer of menstrual blood to the absorbent layer located inside is difficult itself, and there is a possibility that a desired absorption rate cannot be exhibited.

In the sanitary napkin disclosed in patent document 2, natural fibers (cotton fibers and hemp fibers) cultivated in an organic manner without agricultural chemicals are used as the constituent materials, and thus, there is no burden on the body due to synthetic resins, chemicals, and the like, and the sanitary napkin is excellent in safety to the body.

However, natural fibers are more prone to fluffing than synthetic fibers and, for example, when natural fibers are used for the cover of a tampon, there is a concern that some of the natural fibers remain in the vaginal cavity when the fibers are drawn out of the vaginal cavity after use.

The present invention is an improvement of a conventional tampon, and relates to providing a tampon which can increase the absorption rate of menstrual blood, is excellent in safety to the body by using natural fibers, and can suppress fluffing of the natural fibers.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the problems, the present invention relates to a tampon having a longitudinal direction and a width direction, comprising a liquid-absorbent body and a withdrawal string for withdrawing the absorbent body from the vaginal cavity.

The tampon of the present invention is characterized in that the absorbent body includes an absorbent layer having water-absorbent fibers, and a covering layer made of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric covering the absorbent layer, the covering layer contains natural fibers, a plurality of concave portions extending from the covering layer into the absorbent body are formed over the entire region of the absorbent body, the natural fibers have a fiber length larger than a separation distance between the concave portions adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction, and the water-absorbent fibers of the absorbent layer and the natural fibers of the covering layer are entangled with each other in the concave portions.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the water-absorbent fibers of the absorbent layer have a fiber length that is greater than the fiber length of the natural fibers of the cover.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the absorber has a thickness direction and a 1 st surface and a 2 nd surface opposite to each other in the thickness direction, and in the 1 st surface and the 2 nd surface, the plurality of concave portions are arranged along the length direction, thereby forming a plurality of rows, and the concave portions of the adjacent rows in the width direction are not arranged so as to be mutually arranged in the width direction.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the natural fibers and the water-absorbent fibers are oriented along the length direction.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the natural fiber is organically cultivated cotton fiber.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the cover is formed only of the organically cultivated cotton fiber.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the absorbent layer is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles, and the cover layer is formed of a spun lace nonwoven fabric.

In one embodiment of the tampon of the present invention, the cover further has a main body portion covering the absorbent layer and a protruding portion protruding from the main body portion, the protruding portion being temporarily fixed to the main body portion in a folded state by means of the concave portion.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

In the tampon of the present invention, a plurality of concave portions are formed in the entire region of the absorbent body, and the plurality of concave portions extend from the covering layer to the inside of the absorbent body, whereby the absorption area is enlarged and the diffusion property and the absorption rate are excellent. In addition, by using natural fibers, safety to the body is improved, and fuzz of natural fibers can be suppressed.

Drawings

The drawings show specific embodiments of the present invention, and include not only indispensable structures of the invention but also alternative and preferred embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tampon of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tampon body.

Fig. 3 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line iii (a) -iii (a) of fig. 2. Fig. 3 (b) is a partially enlarged view of the region surrounded by the one-dot chain line iii (b) of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-VI of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 (a) is a partially enlarged view of an area surrounded by a line v (a) of fig. 1. Fig. 5 (b) is the same as fig. 5 (a) after use.

Detailed Description

The following embodiments are directed to the tampon 10 shown in fig. 1-5, and include not only the indispensable structure of the invention, but also alternative and preferred structures.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, a tampon 10 shown as an example of the tampon of the present invention has a longitudinal direction Y and a width direction X, and includes an absorbent body (tampon main body) 20 and a string 11 extending from the absorbent body 20 for pulling the absorbent body 20 out of the vaginal cavity after use. The string 11 is attached to the absorbent body 20 at a central portion located at the center of the absorbent body 20 in the width direction X via a sewing thread 9 extending along the longitudinal direction Y.

The absorbent body 20 has a 1 st surface 21a and a 2 nd surface 21b facing each other in the thickness direction Z, and has a convex curved 1 st end edge 20a, a substantially V-letter shaped 2 nd end edge 20b, and both

side edges

20c, 20d extending in the longitudinal direction Y between the 1 st end edge 20a and the 2 nd end edge 20 b. The absorber 20 may have various known shapes such as a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, a cylindrical shape, and a prismatic shape, in addition to the substantially arrow shape shown in the figure.

The absorbent body 20 includes an absorbent layer 30 having water-absorbent fibers and a coating layer 40 coating the absorbent layer. The absorbent layer 30 and the cover layer 40 are joined to each other at the sewing line 9.

The absorbent layer 30 is an absorbent layer containing constituent fibers capable of absorbing and retaining menstrual blood, and mainly contains water-absorbent fibers such as rayon fibers, pulp fibers, and cotton fibers, and may further contain thermoplastic synthetic fibers such as polypropylene fibers and polyethylene fibers in addition to the water-absorbent fibers. The absorbent layer 30 is formed by shaping the constituent fibers into a desired shape, and has the same shape as the absorbent body. In the illustrated example, the absorbent layer 30 is formed of a fibrous mass formed by shaping the constituent fibers into a desired shape, but the absorbent layer 30 may be formed by laminating various known fibrous nonwoven fabrics such as a spunlace fibrous nonwoven fabric and a through-air fibrous nonwoven fabric as long as the desired absorption performance is exhibited.

The cover layer 40 is formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric that covers the entire absorbent layer 30. Specifically, the cover layer 40 can be formed of a spun lace fiber nonwoven fabric using natural fibers such as cotton fibers and pulp fibers, or a spun lace fiber nonwoven fabric using synthetic fibers such as rayon. Here, the coating layer 40 having hydrophilicity means that the constituent fibers of the coating layer 40 contain more hydrophilic fibers than synthetic fibers, and the content of the hydrophilic fibers is preferably 60% or more. The covering layer 40 is liquid-permeable, and has a plurality of openings formed by surface processing, which are fiber gaps to the extent that menstrual blood adhering to the surface of the covering layer 40 can be rapidly transferred to the absorbent layer 30 located inside.

In the present embodiment, as the hydrophilic natural fiber, cotton fiber cultivated in an organic (organic) manner without agricultural chemicals is used. Since the cover 40 directly contacting the vaginal cavity of the user uses organic cotton fiber, safety to the body is improved as compared with the case of using chemical fiber or synthetic resin containing chemical substances, and the user can use the tampon 10 safely.

The content of the organic cotton fibers in the hydrophilic fibers constituting the coating layer 40 is preferably at least 70% or more, more preferably 100%, and the coating layer 40 may be formed only of the organic cotton fibers. In the case where the cover layer 40 is formed only of organic cotton fibers, since the entire outer surface of the absorber 20 does not contain fibers containing chemical substances such as agricultural chemicals, a feeling of security that does not affect the body even when used for a long time such as at night can be given to the user by inserting only a material completely safe to the body, which is derived from natural raw materials, into the body.

The string 11 is formed of synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester, natural fibers, or the like, and has a tensile strength to such an extent that the absorbent body 20, which has absorbed menstrual blood and is located in the vaginal cavity after use, can be safely removed. Specifically, the string 11 preferably has a tensile strength of about 5N or more so as not to be broken when the absorbent body 20 is taken out. In addition, in order to prevent menstrual blood from adhering to the wire 11 when the user performs an operation, a water-repellent treatment may be applied thereto.

Referring to fig. 2 and (a) and (b) of fig. 3, the absorber 20 has a plurality of concave portions 60. The plurality of concave portions 60 are disposed on the 1 st surface 21a and the 2 nd surface 21b, which are the entire regions of the absorber 20, and extend from the cover layer 40 to the inside of the absorption layer 30. The plurality of recesses 60 are substantially circular in shape, and are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction Y and the width direction X. Specifically, the plurality of recesses 60 are arranged to form a plurality of rows separated in the width direction X and extending along the longitudinal direction Y, and the recesses 60 of mutually adjacent rows are located at positions not overlapping each other in the width direction X. Therefore, referring to fig. 3 (b), for example, the recessed portion 61a of any of the 1 st rows L1 is arranged so as not to overlap with the recessed portion 62a of the 2 nd row L2 adjacent to the 1 st row L1 in the width direction X.

The interval (pitch) between the recesses 60 in each row, that is, for example, the interval R1 between the

recesses

61a and 61b in the 1 st row L1 may be the same size or different. The pitch dimensions R2 of the recessed portions 61a of the 1 st row L1 and the recessed portions 62a of the 2 nd row L2 may be the same size or different sizes. The spacing dimensions R1 and R2 may be the same size or different sizes. Here, the spacing R1 and R2 are the spacing between the center points of the concave portions 60.

The absorbent body 20 has a plurality of concave portions 60 over the entire region, and thus the absorption area (surface area) capable of absorbing menstrual blood is increased as compared with the case where the surface of the absorbent body 20 is flat. Therefore, when the absorbent body 20 is inserted into the vaginal cavity to absorb menstrual blood, more menstrual blood can be absorbed. Further, since the plurality of concave portions 60 extend from the covering layer 40 into the absorbent layer 30, menstrual blood can be drawn into the concave portions 60 and can be quickly absorbed into the absorbent layer 30 from the inner peripheral surface of the concave portions 60.

Referring to fig. 4, in the concave portion 60, the (organic) cotton fiber 41 constituting the coating layer 40 enters the inside of the absorption layer 30. Specifically, the cotton fibers 41 enter the fiber gaps of the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorbent layer 30 forming the inner peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the concave portion 60 and are entangled with each other. In this way, the cotton fibers 41 of the cover layer 40 and the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorbent layer 30 are entangled with each other in the concave portions 60, whereby the cover layer 40 and the absorbent layer 30 can be stably joined, and the menstrual blood can be reliably and rapidly transferred from the cover layer 40 to the absorbent layer 30.

As a method of interlacing the fibers in the concave portion 60, for example, a fluid treatment in which a high-pressure fluid is sprayed to the absorbent body 20 or a pinning process (japanese: エンボスピン process) in which a plurality of pins are used to apply pressure can be used.

Although not shown, the tampon 10 is accommodated in an applicator for insertion into the vaginal cavity in a state where the absorbent body 20 is compressed into a substantially cylindrical shape. In addition, although the absorber 20 is inserted into the vaginal cavity while being compressed into a substantially cylindrical shape even in use by performing the insertion operation using the applicator, menstrual blood can be rapidly held and absorbed while moving toward the plurality of concave portions 60 by positioning either the 1 st surface 21a or the 2 nd surface 21b on the outer surface side.

The cotton fibers 41 have a fiber length greater than the separation distance R1 between the concave portions 60 adjacent to each other in the length direction Y. Referring to fig. 4, since the fiber length of cotton fiber 41 is greater than the dimension (spacing dimension) R1 of the spacing portion between concave portion 61a and concave portion 61b, one end 41a of cotton fiber 41 is entangled with water-absorbent fiber 31 forming concave portion 61a, while the other end 41b is entangled with water-absorbent fiber 31 forming concave portion 61 b. In this way, the cotton fibers 41 extend so as to span the concave portions 60 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction Y, and thereby the cover layer 40 and the absorbent layer 30 can be more firmly bonded as compared with a case where the cotton fibers 41 are entangled with only the water-absorbent fibers 31 forming one concave portion 60. The dimension R1 of the spacing between the

concave portions

61a and 61b in the longitudinal direction Y is, for example, 3mm to 25 mm.

In addition, since the fineness of cotton fibers is generally small, fluffing is easy, and when cotton fibers are used for the covering layer, there is a concern that the absorbent body having absorbed menstrual blood may be taken out from the vaginal cavity after use: the cotton fibers are fluffed and left in the vaginal cavity by friction. In the present embodiment, the cotton fibers 41 are arranged so as to span between the concave portions 60 adjacent in the longitudinal direction Y and to be entangled with the water-absorbent fibers 31 in the concave portions 60, and therefore, when the absorbent body 20 is taken out from the vaginal cavity after use, it is possible to prevent the fibers from being entangled with each other and fluff of the cotton fibers 41.

The water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorbent layer 30 have a fiber length greater than the fiber length of the cotton fibers 41. Specifically, the cotton fiber 41 has a fiber length of 10mm to 30mm and an average fiber length of 13mm to 20mm, while the water-absorbent fiber 31 has a fiber length of 20mm to 70mm and an average fiber length of 25mm to 50 mm. Since the fiber length of the water-absorbent fibers 31 is relatively large, menstrual blood guided to the respective concave portions 60 can be quickly transferred in the fiber orientation direction. The average fiber length is, for example, according to JIS L1015: "measurement of a7.1 fiber length" in appendix a of 2010 "method of measuring the length of each fiber on a glass plate with a scale of A7.1.1A method (standard method)". The above method is a test method corresponding to ISO 6989 issued in 1981.

The cotton fibers 41 of the covering layer 40 and the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorbent layer 30 are oriented in the longitudinal direction Y. By orienting the

fibers

31 and 41 constituting the absorbent body 20 in the longitudinal direction Y in this manner, menstrual blood can be rapidly diffused in the longitudinal direction Y. The phrase "the

fibers

31 and 41 are oriented in the longitudinal direction Y" means that 50 mass% or more of the fibers in the

entire fibers

31 and 41 are oriented in the range of +45 degrees to-45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction Y. The fiber orientation can be measured using a digital microscope VHX-100 manufactured by kynz co.

As described above, the plurality of concave portions 60 of the absorber 20 are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction Y. In this way, the concave portions 60 are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction Y, and the plurality of rows L1 to L3 are formed, whereby menstrual blood can be rapidly diffused along the longitudinal direction Y in conjunction with the orientation of the

fibers

31 and 41 of the cover layer 40 and the absorbent layer 30 along the longitudinal direction Y.

The concave portions 60 of the rows L1 to L4 adjacent in the width direction X are not arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the width direction X. In the case where the concave portions 60 of the mutually adjacent rows L1-L4 are arranged in line with each other in the width direction X, there is a fear that: the rigidity of the absorbent body 20 in the width direction X becomes relatively low, and it becomes difficult to fold and draw out when it is drawn out from the vaginal cavity after use. Here, the phrase "the concave portions 60 of the adjacent rows L1 to L4 are not arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the width direction X" means that, for example, when the concave portions 60 of the 1 st row L1 are moved in parallel in the width direction X, they do not partially overlap the concave portions 60 of the 2 nd row L2.

Referring to fig. 3 (a), the recess 60 located on the 1 st surface 21a and the recess 60 located on the 2 nd surface 21b facing each other in the thickness direction Z are slightly displaced in the width direction X. That is, since the centers of the concave portions 60 facing each other in the thickness direction Z are arranged so as to be shifted in the width direction X, and do not completely overlap each other, it is possible to suppress such a situation as compared with a case where they are arranged so as to completely coincide in the thickness direction Z: the rigidity of the portions of the absorbent body 20 that face each other in the recesses 60 is locally reduced, and the absorbent body is distorted and deformed.

The absorbent layer 30 is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles having passed through a carding machine, and the cover layer 40 may be formed of a spun lace fiber nonwoven fabric. In this case, since the absorbent layer 20 has excellent flexibility as a whole because the absorbent layer 30 and the cover layer 40 do not have a joint portion to which the thermoplastic synthetic fibers are welded.

In the case where the cover layer 40 is formed of a spun lace fiber nonwoven fabric, a plurality of grooves are formed on the surface of the cover layer 40, and the grooves are arranged at intervals in the width direction (direction intersecting the machine direction at the time of production) X and extend in the longitudinal direction (machine direction at the time of production) Y. By forming a plurality of grooves extending in the longitudinal direction Y in the cover layer 40 itself, menstrual blood is made to easily spread in the longitudinal direction Y on the surface of the absorbent body 20.

Referring to fig. 5 (a), the cover layer 40 has a main body portion 70 covering the absorbent layer 30 and a protruding portion (free end portion) 71 protruding from the main body portion 70. The protruding portion 71 is temporarily fixed to the surface of the main body 70 via the plurality of concave portions 60 in a state folded on the main body 70. By temporarily fixing the protruding portion 71 to the main body portion 70 in this manner, the protruding portion 71 is not separated from the main body portion 70 and operation is not hindered when the absorbent body 20 is inserted into the vaginal cavity.

Referring to fig. 5 (b), after the tampon 10 is used, when menstrual blood is absorbed by the absorber 20 and the menstrual blood is diffused into the entire cover 40, and a relatively large amount of menstrual blood is absorbed and held, the menstrual blood is diffused not only into the main body 70 in contact with the absorbent layer 30 but also into the protruding portion 71. The menstrual blood spreads to the projecting portion 71, so that the absorbent fibers 31 and the cotton fibers 41 entangled with each other absorb the menstrual blood and swell in the concave portion 60 of the temporarily fixing projecting portion 71, and the entanglement of the fibers is released, and the temporarily fixed state is released. By releasing the temporary fixing state, the extension portion 71 is separated from the main body portion 70 and stands up.

In this way, when menstrual blood spreads to the projecting portions 71 not in direct contact with the absorbent layer 30 after use, the projecting portions 71 rise up, and therefore, the user can recognize that a greater amount of menstrual blood has been excreted when the absorbent body 20 is taken out from the vaginal cavity. On the other hand, in the case where menstrual blood does not spread to the projecting portion 71 after use and the temporary fixation thereof is not released and the state of lying down on the main body portion 70 is maintained, the user can recognize that a relatively small amount of menstrual blood has been excreted. Therefore, it can be said that the protruding portion 71 of the cover 40 functions as an indicator for notifying the excretion amount of menstrual blood.

As long as the material constituting the tampon is not particularly explicitly described, a known material generally used in this field can be used without limitation, in addition to the materials described in the present specification. In addition, the terms "1 st" and "2 nd" and the like used in the present specification are used for simply distinguishing the same elements, positions and the like.

Description of the reference numerals

10. A tampon; 20. an absorbent body; 30. an absorbing layer; 31. a water-absorbent fiber; 40. a coating layer; 41. natural fibers (organic cotton fibers); 60. a recess; 70. a main body portion; 71. an extension portion; x, width direction; y, longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A tampon having a longitudinal direction and a width direction, comprising a liquid-absorbent body and a withdrawal string for withdrawing the absorbent body from the vaginal cavity, characterized in that,

the absorbent body comprises an absorption layer having water-absorbing fibers, and a coating layer formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric for coating the absorption layer,

the coating layer contains natural fibers, and the natural fibers,

a plurality of recesses are formed in the entire region of the absorber, the plurality of recesses extending from the cladding layer to the inside of the absorber,

the natural fibers have a fiber length larger than a separation distance between the recesses adjacent to each other in the length direction,

the water-absorbent fibers of the absorbent layer and the natural fibers of the coating layer are entangled with each other in the concave portions,

the cover layer further has a main body portion covering the absorbent layer and an extended portion extending from the main body portion, and the extended portion is temporarily fixed to the main body portion in a folded state by means of the concave portion.

2. The tampon of claim 1, wherein,

the fiber length of the water-absorbing fibers of the absorption layer is greater than the fiber length of the natural fibers of the coating layer.

3. The tampon of claim 1 or 2,

the absorber has a thickness direction and 1 st and 2 nd surfaces opposed to each other in the thickness direction, and the plurality of concave portions are arranged along the longitudinal direction in the 1 st and 2 nd surfaces, thereby forming a plurality of rows, and the concave portions of the adjacent rows in the width direction are not arranged so as to be mutually arranged in the width direction.

4. The tampon of claim 3, wherein,

the natural fibers and the water-absorbent fibers are oriented along the length direction.

5. The tampon of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the natural fiber is cotton fiber cultivated organically.

6. The tampon of claim 5, wherein,

the coating layer is formed only by the cotton fiber formed by organic cultivation.

7. The tampon of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the absorbent layer is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles, and the cover layer is formed of a spun lace nonwoven fabric.