CN114129347B

CN114129347B - Diaper and method for manufacturing diaper

Info

Publication number: CN114129347B
Application number: CN202111012756.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 木村笙子; 丹下雄贵
Original assignee: Oji Holdings Corp
Current assignee: Oji Holdings Corp
Priority date: 2020-09-03
Filing date: 2021-08-31
Publication date: 2022-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 2041-08-31
Also published as: CN114129347A; CN216724963U

Abstract

The present invention relates to a diaper and a method for manufacturing the diaper. A diaper (2) comprises: a soft region (5) extending in the width direction on the ventral end side of the absorber (21); and a hard region (6) that includes at least a part of the ventral end, extends in the width direction, is provided on the ventral end side of the soft region (5) adjacent to the soft region (5), and is harder than the soft region (5).

Description

Diaper and method for manufacturing diaper

Technical Field

The present application relates to a diaper having an absorber and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background

Generally, a diaper is provided with a pad-like absorbent body that absorbs liquid components of excrement. In this absorbent body, a top sheet (topsheet) having liquid permeability is disposed on the skin side, a back sheet (leakproof sheet) having liquid impermeability is disposed on the non-skin side, and a cover sheet (topsheet) forming the outer surface of the diaper. The top sheet, back sheet, and cover sheet are all provided so as to cover the absorbent body in the thickness direction. A waist sheet (stretchable sheet) having waist gathers formed therein is disposed on the back of the diaper (see, for example, japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-166076).

Disclosure of Invention

The portion of the diaper on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body is more easily deformed than the portion where the absorbent body is provided, and for example, when a wearer takes off clothing such as pants worn on the outer side (non-skin side) of the diaper, the clothing may be dragged by the clothing and deformed. In particular, since the periphery of the abdomen-side end of the diaper is softer than the periphery of the back-side end provided with the waist gather, if the pull-up by the clothing as described above occurs, the diaper tends to curl around the axis along the width direction. If the abdomen-side end portion is curled, the thickness dimension increases, and therefore, the abdomen-side end portion is more likely to be dragged by the outer clothing, which causes the diaper to slip off. There is room for improvement in the conventional diaper in terms of suppressing such slipping-off.

The present application inhibits the slipping of diapers.

The 1 st aspect of the present application is a diaper. The diaper comprises: a soft region (5) extending in the width direction on the ventral end side of the absorber (21); and a hard region (6) that includes at least a part of the ventral end, extends in the width direction, is provided on the ventral end side of the soft region (5) adjacent to the soft region (5), and is harder than the soft region (5).

The invention of claim 2 is a method of manufacturing a diaper. In the diaper, an inner sheet extending on a skin-side surface and an outer sheet extending on a non-skin-side surface are laminated in the soft region, and a reinforcing sheet is laminated in addition to the inner sheet and the outer sheet in the hard region. The reinforcing sheet has the same dimension and material in the width direction as the stretchable sheet, and is an excess portion separated from the stretchable portion when the waist sheet material including the stretchable portion to be the waist sheet is cut in the manufacturing process. The manufacturing method comprises the following steps: preparing a continuous body in which the individual portions of the diaper are continuous in the flow direction via the portions to be cut and the waist panel is arranged so as to overlap in the cut direction across the portions to be cut in the flow direction as a pre-step; and as a subsequent step, cutting the continuous body prepared in the preceding step at the portion to be cut, and disposing the waist panel at the back-side end portion and the reinforcing sheet at the abdomen-side end portion of the diaper formed by each of the cut unit portions.

According to the present application, slipping-off of the diaper can be suppressed.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a diaper.

Fig. 2 is a plan view when the diaper is viewed from the skin side.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the front body of the diaper as viewed from the non-skin side.

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating a state where the continuous body is cut off in the manufacturing process of the diaper.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a diaper.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the front body of the diaper of the modified example, as viewed from the non-skin side (a view corresponding to fig. 2).

Fig. 7 isbase:Sub>A longitudinal sectional view (sectional view taken along linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A in fig. 6) schematically showingbase:Sub>A part ofbase:Sub>A front body inbase:Sub>A worn state ofbase:Sub>A diaper according tobase:Sub>A modification.

Detailed Description

The mode for carrying out the present application is explained. This embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques that are not explicitly described in the following embodiments. The respective configurations of the present embodiment can be implemented by various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, they may be selected as needed, or may be appropriately combined.

[1. Diaper ]

[1-1. Overall constitution ]

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the diaper 2 of the present embodiment is a belt-type diaper in which a front body 2A facing the abdomen of a wearer and a back body 2B facing the back of the wearer are connected to each other by a fastening tape 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "belt 1") in a worn state of being worn by the wearer. Here, a paper diaper (so-called disposable diaper) is exemplified as the diaper 2. The diaper 2 is provided with a crotch portion 2C which faces the crotch of the wearer when worn, in addition to the front body 2A and the back body 2B. The crotch portion 2C is positioned between the front body 2A and the rear body 2B in an unfolded state in which the diaper 2 is spread flat.

Hereinafter, a direction connecting the front body 2A and the rear body 2B in the expanded state is referred to as a "longitudinal direction". In addition, the side facing the skin of the wearer in the worn state is referred to as the "skin side", and the opposite side is referred to as the "non-skin side". The direction connecting the skin side and the non-skin side is referred to as the "thickness direction", and the direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is referred to as the "width direction". The diaper 2 of the present embodiment is formed symmetrically with respect to the center line O in the width direction. The diaper 2 is provided with a belt 1, an absorber 21, various sheets 22 to 26, and various gathers 27 to 29. These configurations will be explained in order below.

< tape >

The belt 1 is provided to protrude from both sides of the rear body 2B in the width direction and is detachable from the front body 2A. The number of the belts 1 is not particularly limited, but here, an example is shown in which the belts 1 are provided one (a pair in total) on each side in the width direction of the back part 2B.

< absorbent body >

The absorber 21 is a pad-like member having liquid absorption properties. The absorber 21 is formed by wrapping a pad in which a Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) is mixed with fluff pulp with a core wrap sheet such as a hydrophilic nonwoven fabric or a paper towel. The thickness dimension (dimension in the thickness direction) of the absorber 21 is larger than the tapes 1 and the sheets 22 to 26.

The absorber 21 extends in the longitudinal direction across the front body 2A, the crotch portion 2C, and the back body 2B. The absorbent body 21 is disposed in a region including a portion where excreta such as urine and feces are likely to be excreted from the wearer. Here, the absorbent body 21 is exemplified as being provided on the non-skin side with respect to a top sheet 22 described later and in the center portion in the width direction, and being provided on the skin side with respect to a back sheet 24 and a cover sheet 25 described later and in the center portion in the width direction. The absorber 21 of the present embodiment has a rectangular shape when viewed in the thickness direction.

< sheet >

The sheets 22 to 26 are sheet-like members that expand in the longitudinal direction and the width direction in the expanded state. A top sheet 22 (inner sheet) having liquid permeability is disposed on the skin side of the absorber 21. The top sheet 22 is formed longer than the absorber 21 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, and covers the absorber 21 from the skin side. The top sheet 22 extends on the skin-side surface (inner surface) at the center portion in the width direction of the diaper 2, and forms a skin-facing surface facing the skin of the wearer. The top sheet 22 is formed of, for example, woven or nonwoven fabric. Here, the top sheet 22 having a rectangular shape when viewed in the thickness direction is exemplified.

The top sheet 22 of the present embodiment is provided over the entire longitudinal direction of the diaper 2. That is, as shown in fig. 2, the top sheet 22 extends between one edge 2f and the other edge 2r in the longitudinal direction of the diaper 2. Hereinafter, of the one edge 2f and the other edge 2r in the longitudinal direction of the diaper 2, one edge extending in the width direction on the front body 2A side is also referred to as a "front-side end 2f", and the other edge extending in the width direction on the rear body 2B side is also referred to as a "back-side end 2r".

On the outer side in the width direction of the top sheet 22, a side sheet 23 (inner sheet) having liquid impermeability is disposed in order to prevent liquid leakage from the absorbent body 21 to the outer side in the width direction. The side sheet 23 is preferably formed of a material having air permeability and flexibility. Examples of the material to be used for the side sheet 23 include SMS (Spunbond meltblow spun bond + Meltblown + Spunbond) nonwoven fabric and SMMS (Spunbond meltblow spun bond + Meltblown + Spunbond) nonwoven fabric.

The side sheets 23 are provided in a pair on both sides in the width direction of the top sheet 22 and extend in the longitudinal direction. Here, an example is shown in which the inner portions in the width direction of the side sheets 23 are arranged on the skin side of the top sheet 22 in an overlapping manner. The side sheet 23 of the present embodiment is provided over the entire longitudinal direction of the diaper 2, similarly to the top sheet 22. The side sheet 23 extends on the skin-side surface (inner surface) on both sides in the width direction of the diaper 2, and forms a skin-facing surface that faces the skin of the wearer.

As shown in fig. 1, a back sheet 24 having liquid impermeability is disposed on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 21 in order to prevent liquid leakage from the absorbent body 21 to the non-skin side. The back sheet 24 is formed longer than the absorbent body 21 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, and covers the absorbent body 21 from the non-skin side. The backsheet 24 of the present embodiment extends over the area between the abdomen-side end 2f and the back-side end 2r of the diaper 2. The back sheet 24 is formed of, for example, a film.

On the non-skin side of the back sheet 24, a cover sheet 25 (outer sheet) is disposed in order to reinforce the back sheet 24 and improve the touch (e.g., hand). The cover sheet 25 of the present embodiment is formed to be longer than the back sheet 24 in the width direction and longer than the absorbent body 21 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, and covers the back sheet 24 from the non-skin side. The patch 25 extends on the surface (outer surface) on the non-skin side in the diaper 2. The cover sheet 25 extends between the abdomen-side end 2f and the back-side end 2r of the diaper 2. The cover sheet 25 is formed of, for example, woven cloth or nonwoven cloth.

The top sheet 22, the absorbent body 21, the back sheet 24, and the cover sheet 25, which are stacked in the thickness direction at the widthwise central portion of the diaper 2, are fixed by a known adhesive (e.g., a hot melt adhesive). Similarly, the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25 laminated in the thickness direction on both sides in the width direction of the diaper 2 are fixed by a known adhesive. Further, the belt 1 is sandwiched between the cover sheet 25 and the side sheet 23.

As shown in fig. 2, hereinafter, the portion of the overlapping region of the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25 that is located outside the back sheet 24 in the width direction is also referred to as a side plate portion 3. The side plate portions 3 are provided on the outer side in the width direction than the absorber 21. Most of the side panel portions 3 of the present embodiment are composed of only the side panels 23 and the cover panels 25 from the viewpoint of improving the tactile sensation, and have a softer property than other portions.

The target sheet 26 to which the tape 1 is fixed is attached (stuck) to the non-skin side surface of the front body 2A (the non-skin side surface of the cover sheet 25). The target sheet 26 is a sheet-like member having a function as a fixed joining target of the belt 1. The target sheet 26 of the present embodiment is rectangular in shape having a dimension in the width direction larger than a dimension in the longitudinal direction when viewed in the thickness direction, and extends in the width direction. Here, the target sheet 26 overlapping the absorber 21 in the thickness direction is exemplified. More specifically, the longitudinal outer end 26a of the target sheet 26 overlaps the abdomen-side end 21f of the absorber 21 in the thickness direction. The target sheet 26 constitutes a fastening mechanism together with a fixing fastener (not shown) provided to the belt 1. As the fastening means, for example, a hook and loop fastener mechanically coupled by a hook member (male member) and a loop member (female member) can be applied.

< pleating >

The gathers 27 to 29 are formed by the side sheet 23, the cover sheet 25, and the like being wrinkled by an elastic member such as rubber, stretch film, or polyurethane. The gathers 27 to 29 have a function of improving the fit of the diaper 2 to the wearer. Further, in fig. 1 and 2 and fig. 3 and 4 described later, the diaper 2 in which the gathers 27 to 29 are stretched is shown.

The three-dimensional gather 27 is configured by the inner portion in the width direction of the side sheet 23 being wrinkled in the longitudinal direction by the elastic member 27 a. The three-dimensional gathers 27 are provided in a pair on both sides in the width direction on the skin side with respect to the top sheet 22, and extend in the longitudinal direction. Here, an example of the three-dimensional gather 27 in which a plurality of linear elastic members 27a extending in the longitudinal direction are provided at intervals in the width direction is shown. The three-dimensional gathers 27 rise toward the skin side by contraction of the elastic member 27a in the longitudinal direction.

The leg gathers 28 are provided in the diaper 2 at locations along the legs of the wearer. The leg gathers 28 of the present embodiment are provided in a pair on the outer side in the width direction than the top sheet 22, and extend in the longitudinal direction. The leg gathers 28 are configured by, for example, the side sheet 23, the back sheet 24, and the cover sheet 25 being wrinkled by the elastic member 28a so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction. Here, an example is shown in which a plurality of linear elastic members 28a extending in the longitudinal direction are provided at intervals in the width direction.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the waist gather 29 is provided in the diaper 2 at a position facing the waist (upper part of the hip) of the wearer. The waist gather 29 has a function of improving the fit of the back 2B to the waist of the wearer. The waist gather 29 of the present embodiment is configured by the waist sheet 4 being wrinkled in the width direction of the sheets 22 to 25.

The waist panel 4 is obtained by fixing the elastic member 4a to the nonwoven fabric 4b (stretch panel) in a state of being stretched in the width direction. Here, the waist panel 4 is exemplified by a plurality of elastic members 4a in a linear shape extending in the width direction being provided between two nonwoven fabrics 4b which are in the same rectangular shape and overlapped in the thickness direction at intervals in the longitudinal direction. Instead of the structure in which two nonwoven fabrics 4b are stacked, a structure in which one nonwoven fabric is folded in a V-shape may be employed. The waist panel 4 is disposed in a region including at least a part of the back-side end portion 2r. In other words, the longitudinal direction outer end portion of the waist panel 4 overlaps the back-side end portion 2r in the thickness direction. Here, the waist panel 4 is exemplified in which both ends in the width direction extend to the side panel portions 3.

[1-2. Essential part constitution ]

As shown in fig. 3, two

regions

5, 6 extending in the width direction and having different hardness (flexibility) are provided on the side of the abdomen-side end 2f of the diaper 2 with respect to the absorbent body 21. Hereinafter, one of these

regions

5 and 6, which is soft (easily bendable), is also referred to as a soft region 5, and the other of these

regions

5 and 6, which is hard (not easily bendable), is also referred to as a hard region 6.

The soft region 5 of the present embodiment is adjacent to the outer sides (ventral end portion 2f sides) in the longitudinal direction of the absorber 21 and the target sheet 26. In other words, the absorber 21 and the target sheet 26 are adjacent to the inside (the crotch portion 2C side) in the longitudinal direction of the soft region 5. On the other hand, the hard region 6 is provided adjacent to the outer side of the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction, and closer to the ventral end 2f than the soft region 5. In this way, the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction and do not overlap the absorbent body 21 in the thickness direction.

The soft region 5 corresponds to a region between the absorber 21 and the hard region 6 when viewed in the thickness direction. Three sheets, i.e., a top sheet 22, a back sheet 24, and a cover sheet 25, are stacked in the soft region 5 of the present embodiment. The soft region 5 illustrated here has the same width dimension as the width dimension of the absorbent body 21, and side sheets 23 are further laminated on both ends in the width direction of the soft region 5.

The hard region 6 is a region located outside the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction, and includes at least a part of the ventral end 2f. Here, the hard region 6 including most of the ventral end 2f excluding both ends in the width direction and formed longer than the soft region 5 in the width direction is exemplified. The hard region 6 of the present embodiment extends to the side plate portion 3 located on the outer side in the width direction than the absorber 21. Hereinafter, a portion 6a of the hard region 6 adjacent to the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction is also referred to as a central hard region 6a, and a portion 6b outside the central hard region 6a in the width direction (i.e., a portion not adjacent to the soft region 5 in the longitudinal direction) is also referred to as an outer hard region 6b.

As described above, the hard region 6 is formed to be harder than the soft region 5. The hard region 6 of the present embodiment is formed to be harder than the soft region 5 by the reinforcing sheet 7 not disposed in the soft region 5. That is, the hard region 6 of the present embodiment corresponds to a region overlapping with the reinforcing sheet 7 as viewed in the thickness direction. In the central hard region 6a, the reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to three sheets of the top sheet 22, the back sheet 24, and the cover sheet 25. Side sheets 23 are further laminated on both ends in the width direction of the central hard region 6 a. In this way, the number of stacked sheets in the central hard region 6a is set to be larger than the number of stacked sheets in the soft region 5.

In the outer hard region 6b, the reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25. A top sheet 22 and a back sheet 24 are further laminated on the inner side of the outer hard region 6b in the width direction. In this way, in the hard region 6, the reinforcing sheet 7 is disposed in addition to at least one of the top sheet 22 and the side sheet 23 forming the surface on the skin surface side of the diaper 2 and the cover sheet 25 forming the surface on the non-skin side of the diaper 2.

The side plate 3 (hereinafter referred to as the front plate 3) of the front body 2A is provided with a part of the outer hard region 6b. As described above, the reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to the side sheet 23 and the cover sheet 25 in the outer hard region 6b of the front panel 3. On the other hand, only two side sheets 23 and two cover sheets 25 are stacked on the front side plate 3 except for the outer hard region 6b. In this way, in the front panel 3, the number of stacked sheets in the outer hard region 6b is set to be larger than the number of stacked sheets in the other portions.

The reinforcing sheet 7 is interposed between the back sheet 24 and the top sheet 22. Here, the reinforcing sheet 7 is illustrated as a rectangular shape having a larger dimension in the width direction than in the longitudinal direction. The outer end in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing sheet 7 overlaps the ventral end 2f in the thickness direction. As shown in fig. 2, the width direction dimension W (width dimension W) and the material of the reinforcing sheet 7 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist panel 4. This is because the reinforcing sheet 7 is formed of a fragmentary portion (remaining portion 7' described later) cut from the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist panel 4 in the process of manufacturing the diaper 2. Therefore, the reinforcing sheet 7 of the present embodiment has a two-layer structure in which two nonwoven fabrics (sheets) are stacked, as in the waist sheet 4.

The reinforcing sheet 7 of the present embodiment has water repellency. Here, an example is illustrated in which both the two nonwoven fabrics constituting the reinforcing sheet 7 are hydrophobic sheets. In other words, the reinforcing sheet 7 of the present embodiment is formed of a sheet having water repellency. However, the structure of the reinforcing sheet 7 having hydrophobicity is not limited thereto. Instead of (or in addition to) making the sheets constituting the reinforcing sheet 7 hydrophobic, an adhesive for adhering the sheets to each other may be made hydrophobic. That is, the reinforcing sheet 7 may be formed of a plurality of sheets bonded to each other by a hydrophobic adhesive.

[2. Method for producing diaper ]

As shown in fig. 4, in the manufacturing process of the diapers 2, a plurality of diapers 2 (or semi-finished products thereof) are cut out from a belt-like continuous body 20. The continuous body 20 is an elongated body in which the individual portions 2' corresponding to the diapers 2 are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction through the portions to be cut C, and includes a structure corresponding to the absorbent body 21, the sheets 22 to 26, and the gathers 27 to 29 described above. In fig. 4, the belt 1 is omitted.

The continuous body 20 is conveyed along the arrangement direction of the unit portions 2'. Hereinafter, the direction in which the continuous body 20 is conveyed is also referred to as the MD direction (flow direction), and the upstream and downstream are determined based on the MD direction. In addition, a direction orthogonal to the MD direction in the extending plane of the continuous body 20 is a CD direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the MD direction and the CD direction is a TD direction (cutting direction). The MD direction, CD direction, and TD direction of the continuous body 20 correspond to the longitudinal direction, width direction, and thickness direction of the diaper 2, respectively.

The portions to be cut C extend linearly in the CD direction in the continuous body 20 and are arranged at equal intervals in the MD direction. The continuous body 20 is cut at the portions to be cut C, and the unit portions 2' are separated from each other to form a plurality of diapers 2. The portions C to be cut become the abdomen-side end 2f and the back-side end 2r in the diaper 2. More specifically, the portion to be cut C extending between two adjacent unit portions 2 'serves as the back-side end portion 2r of one (the upstream side in fig. 4) of the two diapers 2 formed of the unit portions 2' and serves as the stomach-side end portion 2f of the other (the downstream side in fig. 4) of the diapers 2.

The continuous body 20 is provided with a waist panel 8 including an extensible part 4' to be the waist panel 4. The waist sheet 8 includes a surplus portion 7 'made of only nonwoven fabric, in addition to the stretchable portion 4' of the elastic member 4a. More specifically, the elastic members 4a are fixed between two nonwoven fabrics (or one nonwoven fabric folded in a V-shape) overlapped with each other in the TD direction of the waist sheet 8. The nonwoven fabric in the waist panel 8 is formed to be longer than the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist panel 4 by an excess amount 7' in the MD direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the diaper 2.

The waist piece 8 is arranged at equal intervals in the MD like the portions to be cut C, straddles the portions to be cut C in the MD, and overlaps the portions to be cut C in the TD. That is, the waist sheet 8 is disposed across the unit portions 2' adjacent to each other. The waist panel 8 of the present embodiment is positioned such that all the elastic members 4a are disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side (the upstream side in fig. 4) with respect to the portion to cut C as viewed in the TD direction. In the thus positioned waist panel 8, the stretchable and contractible portions 4 'and the remaining portions 7' are adjacent to each other via the portions to be cut C. Therefore, in the waist panel 8, the stretchable section 4 'is disposed on one of the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the section to be cut C, and the surplus portion 7' is disposed on the other. The remaining portions 7' are disposed apart from the absorbent body 21 in the MD direction. The region between the remainder 7' in the MD direction and the absorbent body 21 becomes a soft region 5 in the diaper 2.

The waist sheet 8 is separated into the stretch section 4 'and the remainder 7' when the continuous body 20 is cut at the scheduled cutting section C. In the diaper 2 of one (the upstream side in fig. 4) of the two diapers 2 formed of the two unit sections 2' adjacent to each other, the stretchable section 4' is the waist panel 4, and in the diaper 2 of the other (the downstream side in fig. 4), the remaining section 7' is the reinforcing sheet 7. As described above, the reinforcing sheet 7 of the present embodiment is the remaining portion 7 'separated from the stretchable part 4' when the waist sheet member 8 is cut in the process of manufacturing the diaper 2.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of manufacturing the diapers 2 (a manufacturing method of the diapers 2). In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the continuous body 20 described above is prepared in step S1 (pre-step). Then, in step S2, the continuous body 20 prepared in step S1 is cut at the portion-to-be-cut C (post-process). Thus, in step S2, as described above, the waist panel 4 is disposed on the diaper 2 formed of one of the two adjacent unit sections 2', and the reinforcing sheet 7 is disposed on the diaper 2 formed of the other. That is, in step S2 of cutting the continuous body 20 to cut the unit portions 2 'at the portions to be cut C, the waist sheet 4 is disposed at the back-side end portion 2r and the reinforcing sheet 7 is disposed at the abdomen-side end portion 2f of the diaper 2 formed of each of the unit portions 2'.

[3. Action and Effect ]

Generally, the portion of the diaper outside the absorber in the longitudinal direction has a smaller thickness than the portion where the absorber is provided, and therefore is easily deformed, and for example, when a wearer takes off clothes (e.g., pants) on the non-skin side, the diaper may be pulled by the clothes and deformed. In particular, the periphery of the abdomen-side end of the diaper is more likely to be curled (rolled) around an axis along the width direction than the periphery of the back-side end provided with the waist gather. When such curling occurs in the diaper, the thickness dimension increases, and the diaper is more likely to be dragged by clothes and slip off. Further, if the thickness dimension is increased by such curling of the abdomen-side end portion, pressure or intrusion to the abdomen of the wearer may occur due to pressure from the stretchable member, the waistband, or the like of the non-skin-side garment, and a sense of incongruity may be given to the wearer. This may cause the wearer (especially, an infant or a young child) to shift the diaper from the proper wearing position by himself or herself.

In contrast, according to the diaper 2 described above, since the hard region 6 including at least a part of the abdominal-side end portion 2f is harder than the adjacent soft region 5, the hard region 6 can be made less likely to curl when the dragging by the clothes as described above occurs. Moreover, since the soft region 5 softer than the hard region 6 is bent, the hard region 6 is easily rolled up (folded) to the non-skin side without being curled, and thus the increase in thickness due to curling as described above can be avoided. This makes it easy to avoid (avoid) the force in the direction of sliding the diaper 2, and therefore, the sliding of the diaper 2 can be suppressed.

Further, as described above, by avoiding an increase in thickness due to curling, pressing and sinking into the abdomen of the wearer can be suppressed. This contributes to an improvement in the wearing feeling of the diaper 2. Further, for a wearer (e.g., a newborn) sensitive to the navel, by wearing the diaper 2 in a state where the hard region 6 is folded back from the soft region 5 to the non-skin side, it is easy to avoid contact between the diaper 2 and the navel. This also suppresses skin troubles of the navel of the wearer.

In the hard region 6, the reinforcing sheet 7 is laminated in addition to the cover sheet 25 and at least one of the top sheet 22 and the side sheet 23 to the soft region 5 in which the top sheet 22 and the cover sheet 25 are laminated. By laminating the reinforcing sheet 7 between the top sheet 22 and the side sheet 23 extending on the skin side and the cover sheet 25 extending on the non-skin side in this manner to form the hard region 6 harder than the soft region 5, it is possible to suppress slipping off of the diaper 2 and to suppress deterioration in appearance and feel as described above. Further, by stacking the reinforcing sheet 7 only in the hard region 6 without stacking it in the soft region 5, the hard region 6 can be made harder than the soft region 5 with a simple configuration. This also contributes to reduction in manufacturing cost.

Since the width W and material of the reinforcing sheet 7 are the same as those of the nonwoven fabric 4b of the waist panel 4, the reinforcing sheet 7 and the nonwoven fabric 4b can be easily formed from the same member. When the nonwoven fabric 4b and the reinforcing sheet 7, which are components of the waist panel 4, are formed from the same member, it is not necessary to prepare members for the nonwoven fabric 4b and the reinforcing sheet 7, respectively, and therefore the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Since the reinforcing sheet 7 is the remaining portion 7' that is separated from the stretchable part 4' when the waist sheet 8 is cut in the process of manufacturing the diaper 2, the reinforcing sheet 7 can be formed while cutting the waist sheet 4 corresponding to the stretchable part 4' from the waist sheet 8. This can further reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, since the remaining portion 7 'separated from the stretchable part 4' of the waist panel 8 can be effectively used as the reinforcing sheet 7, it is possible to reduce waste while suppressing material cost.

Since the reinforcing sheet 7 has water repellency, even if liquid components of excrement (hereinafter, also referred to as "excretory fluid") flow out from the absorbent body 21 toward the abdomen-side end 2f and pass through the soft region 5, the excretory fluid can be blocked by the reinforcing sheet 7. Therefore, leakage of the excretory fluid from the abdominal-side end portion 2f (so-called abdominal leakage) can be suppressed. In particular, when the adhesive agent that adheres the sheets 22 to 25 to each other is intermittently applied, the excretory fluid may flow to the hard region 6 through the gap provided in the non-adhesive portion where the adhesive agent is not applied. In addition, the excretory fluid may flow into the hard region 6 through a gap formed in an extension of the linear

elastic members

27a and 28 a. In contrast, according to the reinforcing sheet 7 having the hydrophobic property, even if the excretory fluid flows to the hard region 6 through the gaps between the sheets 22 to 25 as described above, the action of the excretory fluid can be prevented by the reinforcing sheet 7, and therefore, the abdominal leakage can be suppressed.

Since the reinforcing sheet 7 is formed of a hydrophobic sheet, the reinforcing sheet 7 can be configured simply, and the excretory fluid can be blocked by the reinforcing sheet 7 as described above, thereby suppressing abdominal leakage. On the other hand, if the reinforcing sheet 7 is formed of a plurality of sheets bonded to each other by a hydrophobic adhesive, the reinforcing sheet 7 can suppress abdominal leakage by suppressing the cost of the sheets constituting the reinforcing sheet 7 as described above.

Since the hard region 6 extends to the outside in the width direction of the absorbent body 21, the hard region 6 is easily curled more appropriately from the soft region 5 toward the non-skin side, and the curl of the abdominal side end portion 2f can be suppressed in a range longer in the width direction than the width dimension of the absorbent body 21. This can further suppress the diaper 2 from slipping off, and also further suppress the pressing and sinking of the diaper 2 to the abdomen of the wearer, thereby contributing to an improvement in the wearing feeling of the diaper 2.

Since the hard regions 6 extend to the side plate portions 3 provided at the outer sides in the width direction than the absorber 21, the side plate portions 3 can be reinforced by the hard regions 6. This facilitates maintenance of the shape of the side plate 3, and thus facilitates maintenance of a proper worn state of the diaper 2, which contributes to suppression of positional displacement in the diaper 2 in the worn state. Further, the side plate portions 3 are often formed to have softer properties than other portions from the viewpoint of improving the tactile sensation. In contrast, by reinforcing a part of the side panel 3 with the hard region 6 as described above, the shape retention performance of the side panel 3 can be improved while ensuring the flexibility of the side panel 3. This can maintain a suitable wearing state while suppressing a decrease in the feel of the diaper 2.

Since the target sheet 26 to be fixedly joined to the belt 1 is provided adjacent to the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the soft region 5, the portion inside in the longitudinal direction of the soft region 5 can be hardened by the target sheet 26. Thus, when the hard region 6 is curled toward the non-skin side, the curling up to the inner side in the longitudinal direction than the soft region 5 can be reliably suppressed. Therefore, the curling of the hard regions 6 and the soft regions 5 can be further suppressed. This can further suppress the slip of the diaper 2 as described above, and further contribute to an improvement in the wearing feeling of the diaper 2.

According to the method of manufacturing the diaper 2, since the diaper 2 including the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 is manufactured, the slip-off of the diaper 2 can be suppressed as described above. In the continuous body 20' in which the plurality of diapers 2 are cut out, the waist panel 8 is arranged to overlap the portion to be cut C in the TD direction across the portion to be cut C in the MD direction, and therefore the waist panel 4 and the reinforcing sheet 7 can be arranged at appropriate positions while the continuous body 20 is cut at the portion to be cut C. This enables the diaper 2 having the effect of suppressing slipping-off to be efficiently manufactured, contributing to the suppression of the manufacturing cost.

In addition, since the extra portion 7' is provided in the waist panel 8, the positional accuracy required for the waist panel 8 in the continuous body 20 can be alleviated. That is, in the continuous body 20, it is not necessary to synchronize (match) the position of the end of the waist sheet 8 with the position of the portion to be cut C, and therefore positioning of the waist sheet 8 is facilitated. This contributes to an improvement in the manufacturing efficiency of the diaper 2.

[4. Modification ]

As shown in fig. 6, elastic members 9 that stretch in the width direction of the diaper 2 may be provided in the soft regions 5. The elastic member 9 has a function of improving fit to the wearer in the front body 2A. In fig. 6, the diaper 2 is shown in a state where the elastic member 9 is stretched. In fig. 6 and fig. 7 described later, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding elements as those described in the above embodiment, and redundant description is omitted.

In the present modification, a linear (string rubber) elastic member 9 extending in the width direction between the top sheet 22 and the back sheet 24 is exemplified. However, the configuration, number and arrangement of the elastic members 9 are not limited to the above example. The elastic member 9 may be an elastic film, polyurethane, or the like, may be provided in plurality, or may be disposed between the back sheet 24 and the cover sheet 25.

As shown in fig. 7, in a state where the diaper 2 including the elastic member 9 described above is worn on a wearer, the elastic member 9 contracting in the width direction brings the soft region 5 into close contact with the skin H of the wearer, and therefore the hard region 6 is easily separated from the skin H of the wearer. In a typical diaper having no soft region 5 and no hard region 6, when the periphery of the abdominal-side end (the portion corresponding to the hard region 6) is separated from the skin H of the wearer in this way, the abdominal-side end tends to further curl about an axis along the width direction.

In contrast, in the diaper 2 including the soft regions 5 and the hard regions 6, as described in the above-described embodiment, since the hard regions 6 are less likely to curl and the hard regions 6 are likely to roll (fold) toward the non-skin side, even if the elastic member 9 is provided, the increase in thickness due to curling as described above can be avoided. Therefore, the elastic member 9 can improve the fit property and suppress the slip of the diaper 2.

The difference in hardness between the soft region 5 and the hard region 6 is not limited to the number of laminated sheets as described above, and may be adjusted according to the material and thickness of the sheet. At least the hard region 6 is formed harder than the soft region 5, and the slip of the diaper 2 can be suppressed as described above. The hard region 6 may include at least a part of the ventral end 2f, and may not extend to the side plate 3. For example, the hard region 6 may be provided to have a width dimension approximately equal to that of the absorber 21.

The reinforcing sheet 7 is an example. At least one of the width W and the material of the reinforcing sheet 7 may be different from the nonwoven fabric 4B of the waist panel 4. Further, the reinforcing sheet 7 may be formed of a member different from the nonwoven fabric 4B of the waist panel 4. The reinforcing sheet 7 may not have hydrophobicity. The method of manufacturing the diaper 2 described above is also an example. The outer end 26a of the target sheet 26 in the longitudinal direction may not overlap the abdomen-side end 21f of the absorbent body 21 in the thickness direction. The soft region 5 and the hard region 6 may be provided on a pants-type diaper on which the target sheet 26 is not provided.

Claims

1. A diaper (2) characterized by comprising:

a soft region (5) extending in the width direction on the ventral end side of the absorber (21); and

a hard region (6) that includes at least a part of the ventral end, extends in the width direction, is provided on the ventral end side of the soft region (5) adjacent to the soft region (5), and is harder than the soft region (5),

in the soft region (5), an inner sheet (22) extending on the surface on the skin side and an outer sheet (25) extending on the surface on the non-skin side are laminated,

in the hard region (6), a reinforcing sheet (7) is laminated in addition to the inner sheet (22) and the outer sheet (25),

further comprises a waist panel (4), wherein the waist panel (4) is formed by fixing an elastic member to the stretchable sheet (4 b) in an extended state and is disposed in a region including at least a part of the back-side end,

the dimension and material of the reinforcing sheet (7) in the width direction are the same as those of the stretchable sheet (4 b),

the reinforcing sheet (7) is a remaining part which is separated from the stretchable part when the waist panel (8) which is the stretchable part of the waist panel (4) is cut during the production process,

the hard region (6) extends to the outer side in the width direction than the absorber,

the diaper (2) further comprises: a belt (1) which is protrudingly arranged on both sides of the rear body in the width direction; and a target sheet (26) which is attached to the surface of the front body on the non-skin surface side, is adjacent to the inner side of the soft region (5) in the longitudinal direction, and is the object of fixed connection of the tape (1).

2. Diaper (2) according to claim 1,

the reinforcing sheet (7) has hydrophobicity.

3. Diaper (2) according to claim 2,

the reinforcing sheet (7) is formed of a sheet having water repellency.

4. Diaper (2) according to claim 2,

the reinforcing sheet (7) is formed of a plurality of sheets bonded to each other by an adhesive having hydrophobicity.

5. Diaper (2) according to claim 1,

the hard region (6) extends to a side plate (3) provided on the outer side in the width direction than the absorber (21).

6. A method for manufacturing a diaper (2), characterized in that it comprises:

as a pre-step, preparing a continuous body (20) in which a single portion of the diaper (2) according to claim 1 in the continuous body (20) is continuous in the flow direction through a portion to be cut, and the waist sheet (8) is arranged so as to overlap the portion to be cut in the flow direction across the portion to be cut; and

as a subsequent step, the continuous body (20) prepared in the preceding step is cut at the scheduled cutting portion, and the waist panel (4) is disposed at the back-side end portion and the reinforcing sheet (7) is disposed at the stomach-side end portion of the diaper (2) formed by each of the cut individual units.