CN211985948U

CN211985948U - Absorbent article

Info

Publication number: CN211985948U
Application number: CN201890001044.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 椎野洋大; 大桥龙吾; 伊藤幸博
Original assignee: Unicharm Corp
Current assignee: Unicharm Corp
Priority date: 2017-07-31
Filing date: 2018-07-05
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2028-07-05
Also published as: JP6993133B2; WO2019026531A1; TWI785034B; JP2019025066A; TW201909855A

Abstract

An absorbent article (1) is provided with: an absorbent main body (10) which is folded back and forth at the crotch part; a front belt member (30) joined to the front upper end of the absorbent body (10); and a rear belt member (40) joined to a rear upper end portion of the absorbent body (10), both end portions of the front belt member (30) and both end portions of the rear belt member (40) being joined to each other in the left-right direction, wherein the absorbent body (10) is provided with a leakage-preventing sheet (15a), main patterns (101, 102) are provided on a non-skin side surface of the leakage-preventing sheet (15a) on at least one of the front side and the rear side, an area of the main patterns (101, 102) is 40% or more of an area of the non-skin side surface on the one side in a state where the absorbent body (10) is extended, and an area of an overlapping portion of the belt member (30, 40) on the one side and the main patterns (101, 102) is 50% or more of the area of the main patterns (101, 102).

Description

Absorbent article

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an absorbent article.

Background

Disposable diapers are known as absorbent articles for absorbing excreta. As one form of such a disposable diaper, the following diapers are known: by providing a pattern such as a character or a pattern on the non-skin side of the absorbent body that absorbs excrement, design is improved. For example, patent document 1 discloses the following: in the nonwoven fabric forming the back sheet and the rubber thread forming the stretchable member among the members constituting the diaper, the content of titanium oxide is set to 5 wt% or less, thereby improving visibility of the pattern attached to the inner side of the back sheet through the rubber thread or the nonwoven fabric.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2004-188060

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Problem to be solved by utility model

However, in the disposable diaper of patent document 1, since there is a limit to the material component (content of titanium oxide), the whiteness of the nonwoven fabric may be low or the nonwoven fabric itself may be thin. Such a diaper may be worried that a user (a person wearing the diaper by a wearer, for example, a protector for an infant) does not break or break the nonwoven fabric during use. In particular, in a disposable diaper of a so-called 3-member type in which a front side belt member is joined to a front side of an absorbent body and a rear side belt member is joined to a rear side of the absorbent body, if the belt member covering the waist of a wearer is thin, there is a high fear of strength, and there is a possibility that the diaper cannot be used with ease.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article having a pattern, which makes it difficult for a user to worry about the strength of a belt member.

Means for solving the problems

The main utility model for achieving the above object is an absorbent article having an up-down direction, a left-right direction, and a front-back direction which intersect with each other, the absorbent article comprising: an absorbent main body extending in the vertical direction and bent in the front-rear direction at a crotch portion; a front side belt member that is provided to extend in the left-right direction and is joined to a front side upper end portion of the absorbent main body, which is a portion with respect to the up-down direction, on the front side; and a rear belt member extending in the left-right direction and joined to a rear upper end portion of the absorbent main body at a rear side, the rear upper end portion being a portion with respect to the up-down direction, the rear belt member and the front belt member being independent from each other, both left-right direction end portions of the front belt member being joined to both left-right direction end portions of the rear belt member, wherein the absorbent main body includes: a liquid-absorbent core; a liquid-impermeable leakproof sheet arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent core; and a main pattern provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side on a non-skin side surface of the leakage preventive sheet, wherein an area of the main pattern is 40% or more of an area of the non-skin side surface on the one side in a state where the absorbent main body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, and an area of a portion where the belt member on the one side overlaps the main pattern is 50% or more of an area of the main pattern in a state where the absorbent main body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

Effect of the utility model

According to the present invention, it is possible to make it difficult for the user to make a fear of strength of the belt member for the absorbent article having the pattern

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a diaper 1 viewed from the front side.

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state as viewed from the skin side.

Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line a-a in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the absorbent main body 10.

Fig. 5A is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the front main patterns 101 on the front side surface of the diaper 1.

Fig. 5B is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the rear main patterns 102 on the rear side of the diaper 1.

Fig. 6 is a view showing how an infant wearing the diaper 1 climbs.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper 1 in the pants-type configuration.

Detailed Description

At least the following matters will be apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

An absorbent article having an up-down direction, a left-right direction, and a front-back direction intersecting with each other, the absorbent article comprising: an absorbent main body extending in the vertical direction and bent in the front-rear direction at a crotch portion; a front side belt member that is provided to extend in the left-right direction and is joined to a front side upper end portion of the absorbent main body, which is a portion with respect to the up-down direction, on the front side; and a rear belt member extending in the left-right direction and joined to a rear upper end portion of the absorbent main body at a rear side, the rear upper end portion being a portion with respect to the up-down direction, the rear belt member and the front belt member being independent from each other, both left-right direction end portions of the front belt member being joined to both left-right direction end portions of the rear belt member, wherein the absorbent main body includes: a liquid-absorbent core; a liquid-impermeable leakproof sheet arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent core; and a main pattern provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side on a non-skin side surface of the leakage preventive sheet, wherein an area of the main pattern is 40% or more of an area of the non-skin side surface on the one side in a state where the absorbent main body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, and an area of a portion where the belt member on the one side overlaps the main pattern is 50% or more of an area of the main pattern in a state where the absorbent main body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

According to such an absorbent article, the main pattern is less visible in the region where the main pattern overlaps the belt member, and is therefore less visible in color or blurred in outline. This makes it easy for the user to recognize the thickness (thickness dimension) of the belt member, and can prevent the user from feeling a fear about the strength of the belt member.

In the absorbent article, the main pattern is preferably arranged across a boundary between a region where the absorbent main body and the one-side belt member overlap each other and a region where the absorbent main body and the one-side belt member do not overlap each other.

According to such an absorbent article, the main pattern is clearly visible in the region not overlapping with the belt member, and the main pattern is less visible in the region overlapping with the belt member. Therefore, the difference in visibility between the portion of the main pattern which overlaps with the belt member and the portion which does not overlap with the belt member is significant, and the thickness of the belt member can be recognized more easily. This makes it easy to suppress the fear of the user.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the front side belt member and the rear side belt member have a skin-side nonwoven fabric and a non-skin-side nonwoven fabric, respectively, the skin-side nonwoven fabric and the non-skin-side nonwoven fabric are overlapped and joined in a thickness direction via a belt member joint portion, and at least a part of the main pattern does not overlap a region where the belt member joint portion is provided.

According to such an absorbent article, after the belt member is contracted in the left-right direction when the absorbent article is worn, the skin-side nonwoven fabric and the non-skin-side nonwoven fabric may float in the thickness direction in a region where the belt member joint portion is not provided. By arranging the raised portions of the nonwoven fabric so as to overlap the main pattern (that is, the main pattern has portions that do not overlap the joint portions of the belt members), the visibility of the main pattern is further reduced, and the user can more easily recognize the thickness of the belt members.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the absorbent main body has an outer sheet on a non-skin side with respect to the leakage preventive sheet, and a weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the front side belt member and the rear side belt member is larger than a weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the outer sheet.

According to such an absorbent article, the nonwoven fabric of the outer sheet has high light permeability because of its small basis weight, and the nonwoven fabric of the belt member has low light permeability because of its large basis weight. Thus, the main pattern is easily seen through the region where the absorbent main body and the belt member do not overlap, and the main pattern is less visible in the region where the absorbent main body and the belt member overlap. Therefore, the thickness of the band member can be more easily recognized by the user.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that each of the front side belt member and the rear side belt member has a waist elastic member which stretches and contracts in the left-right direction, and at least a part of the main pattern overlaps a region in which a tension is applied by the waist elastic member.

According to such an absorbent article, when the absorbent article is worn, the waist elastic member stretches and contracts, so that a plurality of gathers are formed on the surface of the belt member, and the belt member is deformed into a corrugated shape. Therefore, the visibility of the main pattern is reduced in the portion overlapping the wrinkle-formed region, and the thickness and flexibility of the belt member can be easily recognized by the user.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the front side belt member and the rear side belt member are joined to the absorbent main body via a main body joint portion, respectively, the main body joint portion being formed of a plurality of belt-like joint portions extending in the vertical direction and arranged at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction, and at least a part of the main pattern overlaps with a region where the main body joint portion is provided.

According to such an absorbent article, the belt member and the absorbent body are easily separated from each other and float in the thickness direction between the 2 belt-like joined portions adjacent in the left-right direction when the absorbent article is worn. In the raised region, since the visibility of the main pattern is greatly reduced, the thickness and flexibility of the tape member can be more easily recognized.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that a rear main pattern is provided on the rear side of the absorbent main body.

According to such an absorbent article, when a wearer such as an infant climbs while wearing the absorbent article, the rear main pattern is likely to attract the attention of the user (a protector or the like) on the rear side surface of the absorbent main body covering the buttocks of the infant. Therefore, it is also easy to recognize that the portion overlapping with the rear belt member and the portion not overlapping with the rear belt member in the rear pattern are different in visibility.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that a front main pattern is provided on a front side of the absorbent main body, a rear main pattern is provided on a rear side of the absorbent main body, and a center position of the front main pattern is positioned higher than a center position of the rear main pattern in the up-down direction.

According to such an absorbent article, by providing the front main pattern at a high position, it is easy to suppress contraction of the front main pattern due to pinching between the wearer's legs during wearing. On the other hand, by providing the rear main pattern at a low position, the rear main pattern can be easily visually recognized over a wide range of the hip of the wearer. Therefore, the main patterns before and after are easily visually recognized in the optimum state.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the area of the front main pattern is smaller than the area of the rear main pattern.

According to such an absorbent article, the rear main pattern is formed as large as possible, so that visibility of the entire rear main pattern can be improved, and a difference in visibility between a portion overlapping with the rear belt member and a portion not overlapping with the rear belt member can be easily recognized by a user.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that an area of a portion where the front main pattern and the front belt member overlap each other is smaller than an area of a portion where the rear main pattern and the rear belt member overlap each other.

According to such an absorbent article, since the rear main pattern is likely to attract the attention of the user when the wearer climbs, the degree of decrease in the visibility of the rear main pattern in the overlapping portion is likely to be conspicuous by making the overlapping portion with the rear belt member as large as possible. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the thickness of the belt member.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that an average value of printing gradation values of the main pattern in a portion where the main pattern and one side surface of the absorbent main body overlap with each other is equal to an average value of printing gradation values of the main pattern in a portion where the main pattern and the one side surface of the absorbent main body do not overlap with each other.

According to such an absorbent article, the density of the printed main pattern is approximately the same between the portion overlapping with the belt member and the portion not overlapping with the belt member. When such an absorbent article is viewed from the outside, the main design is seen to be lighter in density than the actually printed image in the portion overlapping with the belt member. On the other hand, in the portion not overlapping with the belt member, it is seen that the main pattern is of the same density as the image actually printed. Therefore, the reduction in visibility of the main pattern in the portion overlapping with the belt member becomes clear, and the user can easily recognize the thickness of the belt member.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that contour lines forming the outer shape of the main pattern have a thickness of 3mm or more.

According to such an absorbent article, the region where a plurality of nonwoven fabrics are stacked on the main pattern (the region overlapping with the belt member) can allow the shape of the main pattern to be recognized through these nonwoven fabrics, and the visibility is easily recognized to be lowered.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the main pattern has a pattern identical to a pictorial character displayed on the product package of the absorbent article.

According to such an absorbent article, the main pattern is easily recognized by an infant and a caregiver thereof, and the relationship between the absorbent article and the main pattern is easily understood.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that a position of a rear upper end of the absorbent main body is higher than a position of a front upper end of the absorbent main body in the up-down direction.

According to such an absorbent article, since the area of the rear side surface of the absorbent main body is larger than the area of the front side surface, the area in which the main design can be printed on the rear side surface becomes larger. Therefore, the rear main pattern can be designed more freely. This improves the design of the absorbent article.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the absorbent main body includes an indicator extending in the vertical direction and changing in color by contact with moisture, and a vertical length of the indicator disposed on a front side of the absorbent main body is longer than a vertical length of the indicator disposed on a rear side of the absorbent main body.

According to such an absorbent article, since the rear main pattern and the indicator are less likely to overlap each other, it is possible to suppress unnecessary deterioration of the visibility of the rear main pattern due to the indicator.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that a front main pattern is provided on a front side of the absorbent main body, a rear main pattern is provided on a rear side of the absorbent main body, and an area of a portion where the front main pattern and the indicator overlap each other is larger than an area of a portion where the rear main pattern and the indicator overlap each other.

According to such an absorbent article, since the area of the overlapping portion of the rear main pattern and the indicator is small, the visibility of the rear main pattern is less likely to deteriorate even when the color of the indicator changes. On the other hand, the area of the overlapping portion of the front main pattern and the indicator becomes large, but the front main pattern is less visible than the rear main pattern, and thus the visibility of the entire absorbent article is not significantly deteriorated. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the difference in visibility of the main pattern between the region overlapping with the belt member and the region not overlapping with the belt member.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the indicator is not disposed on the rear side of the absorbent main body.

According to such an absorbent article, since the area of the overlapping portion of the indicator and the rear main pattern can be minimized, even when the color of the indicator changes, unnecessary deterioration in the visibility of the rear main pattern can be easily suppressed.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the rear main pattern and the indicator do not overlap with each other.

According to such an absorbent article, even when the color of the indicator changes, the visibility of the rear main pattern is less likely to be affected, and therefore, it is easier to further suppress unnecessary deterioration of the visibility of the rear main pattern.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings

< composition of disposable diaper >

A disposable diaper 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "diaper 1") mainly intended for infants will be described as an example of an absorbent article according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a diaper 1 viewed from the front side. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state as viewed from the skin side. Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view shown with respect to a section a-a in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the absorbent main body 10. The "stretched state" in fig. 2 refers to a state in which the product (diaper 1) is stretched without wrinkles, and specifically, to a state in which the dimensions of the respective members (for example, the absorbent body 10, the front side belt member 30, and the like described later) constituting the diaper 1 are equal to or close to the dimensions of the members alone.

The diaper 1 has a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction as three directions orthogonal to each other in the pants-type state of fig. 1. Hereinafter, the upper side in the vertical direction in the pants-type state is also referred to as a "waist opening side", and the lower side in the vertical direction is also referred to as a "crotch side". The front side in the front-rear direction is also referred to as the "ventral side", and the rear side is also referred to as the "dorsal side".

On the other hand, in the developed state of fig. 2, the diaper 1 has a longitudinal direction and a width direction as three directions orthogonal to each other. Hereinafter, one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction in the expanded state will be referred to as "ventral side" and "dorsal side", respectively. The width direction in the developed state is the same direction as the left-right direction in the pants-type state. Therefore, the width direction is hereinafter also referred to as "the left-right direction". The longitudinal direction in the developed state is a direction along the vertical direction in the pants-type state. As shown in fig. 3, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) and the horizontal direction (width direction) is referred to as the "thickness direction", the side in contact with the skin of the wearing subject is referred to as the "skin side", and the opposite side is referred to as the "non-skin side".

As shown in fig. 1, the diaper 1 is a so-called 3-component type diaper having 3

components

10, 30, 40. That is, the diaper 1 has an absorbent body 10 which is attached to the crotch of the wearer and absorbs excrement such as urine as a 1 st member, a front side belt member 30 which covers the abdominal portion from the front side of the wearer as a 2 nd member, and a rear side belt member 40 which covers the back portion from the rear side of the wearer as a 3 rd member.

As shown in fig. 2, in the developed state of the diaper 1, the front side belt member 30 and the rear side belt member 40 are arranged in parallel with each other with a space in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the absorbent main body 10, and the absorbent main body 10 is laid between them. The front upper end portion including the front upper end 10ea of the absorbent main body 10 is joined to the front belt member 30, and the rear upper end portion including the rear upper end 10eb of the absorbent main body 10 is joined to the rear belt member 40, and the external shape thereof is substantially H-shaped in plan view.

From this state, the absorbent main body 10 is folded in two at the folding position C10 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the crotch portion is folded back and forth. In this folded state, the front side band member 30 and the rear side band member 40 facing each other are joined and coupled to each other at the side edge joining portion 30ew and the side edge joining portion 40ew (i.e., both end portions in the left-right direction) which are portions to be brought into contact with the wearer's abdomen, and thus the

band members

30 and 40 are formed in a ring shape. As a result, the diaper 1 is put on with the waist opening 1HB and the pair of leg openings 1HL formed as shown in fig. 1.

(absorbent body 10)

The absorbent main body 10 has a function of absorbing excrement such as urine, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view as shown in fig. 2 and 4, and is disposed at the center in the lateral direction with its longitudinal direction along the vertical direction of the diaper 1. The absorbent body 10 includes: an absorbent core 11; a surface sheet member 13 for covering the absorbent core 11 so as to wrap the absorbent core from the skin side; and a back sheet member 15 covering the absorbent core 11 from the non-skin side and constituting the exterior of the absorbent body 10.

The absorbent core 11 is a member in which a liquid-absorbent material is laminated, and can absorb excrement such as urine. As the liquid-absorbent material, for example, liquid-absorbent fibers such as pulp fibers can be used. The absorbent core 11 may contain, for example, a super absorbent polymer as the liquid-absorbent particulate matter, or may contain liquid-absorbent fibers and a liquid-absorbent material other than the liquid-absorbent particulate matter. The absorbent core 11 may be covered with a liquid-permeable sheet (not shown) such as a tissue.

The absorbent core 11 of the present embodiment has: a front end 11a which is an upper end in the vertical direction in fig. 2 and 4; and a rear end 11b which is a lower end in the vertical direction in fig. 3. Further, a constricted portion 11c having a width in the lateral direction smaller than the width of the front end portion 11a and the rear end portion 11b is provided between the front end portion 11a and the rear end portion 11 b. As a result, the absorbent core 11 is configured to have a substantially hourglass shape in plan view as shown in fig. 2 and 4.

The top sheet member 13 is a sheet-like member covering the absorbent core 11 from the skin side, and is, for example, a liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric having a larger planar size than the absorbent core 11. The back sheet member 15 is a sheet-like member covering the absorbent core 11 from the non-skin side, and is a sheet having a larger planar size than the absorbent core 11, and an example thereof is a sheet having a two-layer structure in which a liquid-impermeable leakproof sheet 15a made of polyethylene, polypropylene or the like is bonded to an outer sheet 15b made of nonwoven fabric or the like.

In the diaper 1, as shown in fig. 4, the outer sheet 15b forms so-called solid gathers LSG and leg gathers LG. The three-dimensional gathers LSG are leakage-preventing wall portions that stand up at each end in the left-right direction of the topsheet member 13, and the leg gathers LG are leg stretch portions formed in the leg openings 1HL, 1HL of the diaper 1. The outer sheet 15b has portions 15bf extending in the left-right direction from both sides of the leakage-preventing sheet 15a in the left-right direction, the portions 15bf are folded back toward the center side in the left-right direction with the end portions in the left-right direction of the absorbent main body 10 as folded-back positions, and leg-surrounding elastic members 17 such as rubber threads and leg-surrounding auxiliary elastic members 19 are fixed in the vicinity of the folded-back positions in a state of being stretched in the up-down direction, whereby the above-described leg-surrounding gathers LG are formed. The leg hole auxiliary elastic member 19 is not necessarily configured, and the leg hole gathers LG may be formed only by the leg hole elastic members 17.

The folded portion 15bf further extends toward the center side in the left-right direction, and is joined to the front sheet member 13 at both ends in the up-down direction so as to cover the end portions in the left-right direction of the front sheet member 13. Further, the portion 15bf is folded back toward both outer sides in the left-right direction, and at the terminal end portion thereof, an LSG elastic member 18 such as a rubber thread is fixed in a state of being elongated in the up-down direction along the up-down direction. The LSG elastic members 18 are contracted in the vertical direction, and the absorbent body 10 is bent in the vertical direction so that the topsheet member 13 side becomes the inner peripheral side. When the absorbent main body 10 is bent, the distal end portion of the portion 15bf contracts in the vertical direction by the contraction force applied from the LSG elastic member 18, rises from the front sheet member 13, and functions as a three-dimensional gather LSG.

In some cases, a liquid-permeable sheet such as a tissue may be interposed as a sub-sheet between the front sheet member 13 and the absorbent core 11 or between the back sheet member 15 and the absorbent core 11 (see fig. 3).

The leakproof sheet 15a of the absorbent body 10 has a predetermined pattern on the non-skin side. In the example of fig. 4, a pattern of a panda character (

main patterns

101 and 102 described later) is printed. This pattern is provided so as to be visually recognized from the non-skin side (i.e., the outside of the diaper 1) through the outer sheet 15 b. In addition, in the plan view of fig. 4, the pattern (main patterns 101 and 102) is drawn so as to be visually recognized from the skin side (inner side of the diaper 1) of the absorbent main body 10 for the sake of explanation. Hereinafter, the printed pattern is also referred to as "pattern". Details of the size and arrangement of the pattern will be described later.

On the other hand, an indicator 60 serving as an index for making a user (e.g., a protector of an infant) of the diaper 1 know the amount of absorption of a liquid such as urine is provided on the skin-side surface of the leakproof sheet 15a of the absorbent main body 10. The indicator 60 is shown by a region surrounded by a broken line in fig. 4, and is formed in a band shape in the vertical direction (the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body) at the center portion in the horizontal direction. The indicator 60 is formed of a substance (ink) that changes color when it comes into contact with moisture, and when a subject such as an infant urinates while wearing the diaper 1, the color of urine absorbed by the absorbent core 11 changes when it comes into contact with the indicator 60. Therefore, the user (a protector for infants) can easily grasp the timing of changing the diaper 1 by visually recognizing the change in the color of the indicator 60 from the outside of the diaper 1.

(Belt Member 30, 40)

Both the front side belt member 30 and the rear side belt member 40 are sheet members (see fig. 2) made of a flexible sheet such as a nonwoven fabric and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.

As shown in fig. 3, the front side belt member 30 is formed by joining two

nonwoven fabrics

31, 32 in a thickness direction so as to overlap each other. Further, a plurality of waist

elastic members

35, 35 … such as rubber threads are arranged between the two

nonwoven fabrics

31, 32 in the left-right direction. The waist

elastic members

35, 35 … are inserted in a vertically aligned manner with a vertical gap therebetween, and are bonded and fixed to the

nonwoven fabrics

31, 32 in a state of being stretched in the left-right direction. This can impart stretchability to the front belt member 30 in the left-right direction. The nonwoven fabric 31 and the nonwoven fabric 32 are joined to each other via a tape member joining portion 37 formed by an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive. The belt member joint portions 37 are formed in the range of the belt member

joint portions

37a and 37b shown by the hatched portions in fig. 2, for example, and the waist elastic member 35 is joined and fixed by the belt member

joint portions

37a and 37b to give the front side belt member 30 stretchability in the left-right direction. However, the range and size of the belt member joint portion 37 is not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, at least a part of the waist elastic member 35 has a discontinuous portion at the center portion in the left-right direction. The discontinuous portions of the waist elastic members 35 are formed by cutting the waist elastic members 35 at predetermined portions in the center portion in the left-right direction in the manufacturing process of the diaper 1. Specifically, the waist elastic members 35 are cut in regions formed in pairs in the left-right direction between the belt

member joining portions

37b, 37b on both sides. Then, the waist elastic member 35 starts to contract from the cut portion (cut end) toward the belt member joining portions 37b on both sides in the left-right direction, and stops contracting at the position of the left-right direction inner end of the belt member joining portion 37 b. This operation is also referred to as "cut (cutback)" of the elastic member. In the present embodiment, the waist elastic members 35 are not bonded (or may be bonded with a weak bonding force to such an extent that no stretching force acts) in the region between the belt

member bonding portions

37b, 37b in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the waist elastic members 35 are cut, only the waist elastic members 35 contract in both the left and right directions without contracting the

nonwoven fabrics

31, 32 constituting the front belt member 30. In other words, the waist elastic member 35 is relatively displaced with respect to the front belt member 30. Thus, the discontinuous portion of the waist elastic member 35 is formed in the front side (abdomen side) of the diaper 1 at the center portion in the left-right direction. In this discontinuous portion, contraction force in the left-right direction is less likely to act on the absorbent main body 10 (absorbent core 11), and the absorbent main body 10 (absorbent core 11) is likely to spread in the left-right direction, and therefore, side leakage of excrement and the like can be effectively suppressed.

Further, on the upper side (waist opening side) in the vertical direction of the front belt member 30, the non-skin side nonwoven fabric 32 protrudes upward from the upper end in the longitudinal direction of the skin side nonwoven fabric 31, and the protruding portion is folded back toward the skin side to form a front folded-back portion 32f, and this front folded-back portion 32f is joined and fixed to the skin side of the nonwoven fabric 31 (see fig. 3). Thus, the upper end 30ea of the front belt member 30 is covered with the front folded-back portion 32f, and when the diaper 1 is worn, the edge of the upper end 30ea is less likely to stick to the skin (abdominal-side waist portion) of the wearer, and discomfort during wearing can be less likely to occur.

The front belt member 30 is joined to a front upper end portion (an end portion on the non-skin side and the waist opening side in fig. 3) of the absorbent body 10 via a front body joining portion 51. The front body joining portion 51 is formed by joining means such as melting or bonding, and in the present embodiment, the front body joining portion 51 is formed using an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive.

The rear belt member 40 has substantially the same structure as the front belt member 30. That is, the rear side belt member 40 is formed by joining two nonwoven fabrics 41, 42 in the thickness direction in an overlapping manner, and a plurality of waist

elastic members

45, 45 such as rubber threads are joined and fixed in a state stretched in the left-right direction between the nonwoven fabrics 41, 42 in the thickness direction via belt member joining portions 47 (belt

member joining portions

47a and 47b in fig. 2). This imparts the right-left directional stretchability to the rear belt member 40. At least a part of the waist elastic member 45 is cut at the center in the left-right direction in the same manner as the waist elastic member 35, and is cut off to form a discontinuous portion. Therefore, even in the discontinuous portion on the rear side (back side), it is difficult for a contraction force in the left-right direction to act on the absorbent main body 10 (absorbent core 11), and the absorbent main body 10 (absorbent core 11) is likely to spread in the left-right direction, so that side leakage of excrement and the like can be effectively suppressed.

Further, on the upper side (waist opening side) in the vertical direction of the rear belt member 40, the non-skin side nonwoven fabric 42 protrudes upward from the upper end in the vertical direction of the skin side nonwoven fabric 41, and the protruding portion is folded back toward the skin side to form a rear folded-back portion 42 f.

The rear belt member 40 is joined to a rear upper end portion (an end portion on the non-skin side and the waist opening side in fig. 3) of the absorbent body 10 via a rear body joining portion 52.

In fig. 3, a sheet member 38 is provided to cover the front upper end 10ea of the absorbent main body 10 and the lower end 32feb of the front folded portion 32f from the skin side. With this sheet member 38, the edges of the front upper end 10ea and the lower end 32feb are less likely to slip into the skin of the wearer when the diaper 1 is worn, and discomfort during wearing can be less likely to occur. Similarly, a sheet member 48 is provided to cover the rear upper end 10eb of the absorbent main body 10 and the lower end 42feb of the rear folded-back portion 42f from the skin side. With this sheet member 48, the edges of the rear upper end 10eb and the lower end 42feb are less likely to slip into the skin of the wearer when the diaper 1 is worn, and discomfort during wearing can be less likely to occur. However, the

sheet members

38, 48 need not be provided in the diaper 1.

< description of the drawings >

A pattern provided on the non-skin side of the leakage preventing sheet 15a of the absorbent main body 10 will be described. The design (Graphics) is formed by printing the leakproof sheet 15a by using a general printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer in the manufacturing process of the diaper 1.

Various patterns such as illustrations, photographs, patterns, characters, etc. can be formed on the non-skin side surface of the leakproof sheet 15 a. That is, various designed patterns can be printed for shape, color, size, arrangement, and the like. In the example of fig. 4, a character of a panda is printed, but a pattern (e.g., a pattern) other than the character may be printed.

In the present embodiment, among the patterns printed on the non-skin side surface of the leakproof sheet 15a, a pattern satisfying a predetermined condition is referred to as a "main pattern". Specifically, the "main pattern" refers to a pattern in which: among the patterns printed on the non-skin-side surface of the leakage-preventive sheet 15a, a pattern is printed on a region having an area of 40% or more of at least one of the front side surface and the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10 in a state of being elongated in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The "front side surface" refers to a surface located on the front side when the absorbent body 10 is folded in two at the folding position C10, and is located on the ventral side of the folding position C10 in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 10 in fig. 4. Similarly, the "rear side surface" refers to a surface located on the rear side when the absorbent body 10 is folded in two at the folding position C10, and is located on the rear side of the folding position C10 in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 10 in fig. 4.

In the example of fig. 4, a front main pattern 101 composed of a figure character of a panda holding a balloon is formed on the front surface of the absorbent body 10 (leakage preventive sheet 15 a). On the other hand, a rear main pattern 102 composed of a character shown in a parent panda is formed on the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10 (leakage-preventing sheet 15 a). However, the main pattern need not be formed on both the front surface and the rear surface, and the main pattern may be formed only on one surface (preferably, the rear surface).

Such a main pattern occupies 40% or more of the area of the front side or the back side of the absorbent main body 10, and is a pattern most conspicuous when the diaper 1 is worn, and therefore, it is preferable that the pattern of the character shown in the figure be easily recognized by the infant and the caregiver. In order to make the relationship with the diaper 1 easier to recognize, the main pattern is preferably a pattern of the same figure as the figure drawn on the package when the diaper 1 is distributed and marketed.

In addition, the main pattern may be a group of patterns formed by aggregating a plurality of patterns. For example, the front main pattern 101 shown in fig. 4 is a pattern in which a panda litter in a cloud holds 2 balloons, and forms a closed region in which "cloud", "panda litter", and "balloon" are surrounded by continuous lines. In this case, not only the "panda puppies" as the illustrated characters but also the "clouds" and "balloons" may be the components of the main pattern, and the total area of all the components may be 40% or more of the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10. For example, when a background, a character, or the like is formed so as to overlap a certain character, these elements constitute a main pattern in a group. In addition, the outline of the main pattern does not have to be a closed region, and may be a part of the outline that is broken halfway. For example, even in the case where the outline of a part of the "cloud" in the front main pattern 101 in fig. 4 is broken halfway, the "cloud" becomes a component of the main pattern as long as the user can recognize the pattern as a set at a glance.

The rear main pattern 102 shown in fig. 4 is a pattern in which adult pandas and panda pups are arranged side by side. In this case, a closed region surrounded by continuous lines was formed as an "adult panda" and a "panda puppy", and 2 pictorial characters constituted a main pattern. The total area of the 2 illustrated characters may be 40% or more of the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10. In addition, when a plurality of pictorial characters (pandas in fig. 4) are included as constituent elements of the main pattern, such as the rear side main pattern 102, it is preferable that the plurality of pictorial characters are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction (width direction of the absorbent main body 10). Even when a plurality of graphic characters are arranged at positions separated from each other, when the plurality of graphic characters are a set of patterns, the plurality of graphic characters are considered to constitute a main pattern. For example, in the rear main pattern 102, a series of "parent pandas" juxtaposed with "adult pandas" and "panda pups" is apparent at a glance. Therefore, even if the "adult panda" and the "panda baby" are disposed separately from each other, these 2 characters shown in the drawing constitute the rear side main pattern 102.

Here, an example of a method of calculating the ratio (%) of the area of the main pattern to the front side surface (or the rear side surface) of the absorbent main body 10 will be described. First, the diaper to be subjected to area calculation is stretched in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the front side surface and the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10 are imaged using a commercially available camera. Then, the image obtained by the imaging is read by the scanner, and read data is acquired. The read data is data in which pixel data corresponding to the reading resolution of the scanner is two-dimensionally arranged, and each pixel data is data in which the density (print density) is expressed by a plurality of gradation values (hereinafter, read gradation value) for each part of the absorbent main body 10 and the main pattern. The larger the read gradation value represented by the pixel data is, the thicker the print density is, and the smaller the read gradation value is, the lighter the print density is. The read gradation value represented by the pixel data may be represented by, for example, luminance or L × value (luminance).

Then, the edge extraction processing of the main pattern is performed on the read data. In the edge extraction process, pixels forming the contour of the main pattern are extracted and binarized by applying a known filter such as a Laplacian filter or a Sobel filter. As a result, the gradation value of the pixel forming the outline of the main pattern is represented by the maximum tone (255), and the gradation value of the other pixels is represented by the minimum tone (0). As described above, since the main pattern is a closed region substantially surrounded by continuous lines, the area of the main pattern can be accurately measured by calculating the area of the region surrounded by contour pixels extracted from the read data. In the case where the contour line of the main pattern is broken halfway, the area of the main pattern can be calculated by forming/adding a virtual contour line to the read data. Similarly, the area of the front side (rear side) of the absorbent main body 10 is also measured from the read data, so that the ratio (%) of the main pattern to the area of the front side (rear side) can be calculated. Of course, the proportion (%) of the area of the main pattern may be calculated by another method.

< arrangement with respect to main pattern >

In the diaper 1, by adjusting the visibility of the

main patterns

101 and 102 provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 10, the user can easily understand that each member constituting the diaper 1, particularly the front side belt member 30 and the rear side belt member 40, has sufficient strength. Hereinafter, a specific arrangement of the main pattern will be described. Fig. 5A is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the front main patterns 101 on the front side surface of the diaper 1. Fig. 5B is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the rear main patterns 102 on the rear side of the diaper 1. Fig. 5A and 5B show a state (extended state) in which the pants-type diaper 1 is extended in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Fig. 6 is a view showing a state in which an infant wearing the diaper 1 climbs. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a diaper 1 in a pants-type configuration.

As shown in fig. 5A, a partial region of the front side of the absorbent body 10 on the upper side in the vertical direction (waist opening side) overlaps with the front side belt member 30. In the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10, a portion overlapping with the front belt member 30 is a front overlapping portion 10fu, and a portion not overlapping is a front non-overlapping portion 10 fd. As shown in fig. 5B, a partial region of the rear surface of the absorbent body 10 on the upper side in the vertical direction (waist opening side) overlaps the rear belt member 40. On the rear side surface of the absorbent body 10, a portion overlapping with the rear belt member 40 is a rear overlapping portion 10bu, and a portion not overlapping is a rear non-overlapping portion 10 bd.

In the present embodiment, the front main patterns 101 are arranged such that the area of the portion where the front main pattern 101 overlaps the front belt member 30 is 50% or more of the area of the front main patterns 101. In other words, in the front main pattern 101, 50% or more of the region is disposed in the front overlapping portion 10 fu. Similarly, the area of the portion where the rear main pattern 102 overlaps the rear belt member 40 is 50% or more of the area of the rear main pattern 102, and 50% or more of the area of the rear main pattern 102 is disposed in the rear overlapping portion 10 bu.

The

belt members

30 and 40 are arranged to overlap the non-skin side of the

main patterns

101 and 102 in the front overlapping portion 10fu and the rear overlapping portion 10 bu. That is, in this region, a plurality of nonwoven fabrics (15b, 31/32, 41/42, etc.) are layered on the non-skin side in the thickness direction of the

main patterns

101, 102. When such a diaper 1 is viewed from the outside, the

main patterns

101 and 102 are visually recognized through the

belt members

30 and 40 in the regions where the

main patterns

101 and 102 overlap the

belt members

30 and 40. Therefore, the visibility of the

main patterns

101 and 102 is reduced in the region where the

belt members

30 and 40 overlap.

Specifically, in the regions where the

main patterns

101 and 102 overlap the

belt members

30 and 40, the

main patterns

101 and 102 are visible with a reduced color or a blurred outline. As described above, the overlapping of the

main patterns

101 and 102 with the

belt members

30 and 40 actively reduces visibility, and a user (a protector for infants or the like) can reliably recognize the presence of the

belt members

30 and 40. Further, the more the visibility of the

main patterns

101 and 102 in the region overlapping the

belt members

30 and 40 is reduced, the more easily the thickness of the

belt members

30 and 40 is recognized, and the fear of the strength of the

belt members

30 and 40 by the user can be suppressed.

In order to make the degree of deterioration in the visibility of the

main patterns

101 and 102 clear, it is preferable that the

main patterns

101 and 102 are formed in both regions that overlap with the

belt members

30 and 40 and regions that do not overlap with each other. That is, the front main pattern 101 is preferably formed so as to straddle the boundary between the front overlapping portion 10fu and the front non-overlapping portion 10fd (see fig. 5A). Similarly, the rear main pattern 102 is preferably formed so as to straddle the boundary between the rear overlapping portion 10bu and the rear non-overlapping portion 10bd (see fig. 5B).

According to such a configuration, the

main patterns

101 and 102 are clearly visible in the regions not overlapping the

belt members

30 and 40, whereas the

main patterns

101 and 102 are clearly reduced in visibility in the regions overlapping the

belt members

30 and 40. That is, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, the difference in visibility between the portion of the front main pattern 101 which overlaps the front belt member 30 and the portion which does not overlap the front belt member 30 is significant, and the thickness of the front belt member 30 can be more easily recognized.

In addition, in the diaper 1, at least a part of the

main patterns

101, 102 does not overlap the belt member joint portions 37, 47. For example, in fig. 5A, the front main pattern 101 has a portion that does not overlap with neither of the band

member junction portions

37a and 37 b. When the front side belt member 30 is contracted in the left-right direction by the stretching force of the waist elastic member 35 when the diaper 1 is worn, the skin side nonwoven fabric 31 and the non-skin side nonwoven fabric 32 are not joined to each other in the region where the belt member joint portion 37 is not formed, and therefore, the nonwoven fabrics are contracted independently and easily float in the thickness direction. In the portions of the

nonwoven fabrics

31, 32 that float in the thickness direction in this way, the visibility of the front main pattern 101 is further reduced, and therefore, the user can more easily recognize the thickness of the front belt member 30. Further, since the

nonwoven fabrics

31 and 32 are raised in the thickness direction, the three-dimensional appearance of the front belt member 30 is enhanced, and the user can be made to think of the soft feel of cotton. The same applies to the rear main pattern 102 of fig. 5B. Therefore, at least a part of the

main patterns

101 and 102 does not overlap the belt member joint portions 37 and 47, and the user can feel that the

belt members

30 and 40 have sufficient strength and a soft tactile sensation.

In the diaper 1, the weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the

belt members

30, 40 is larger than the weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the outer sheet 15b of the absorbent main body 10. Here, the "weight per unit area" means a mass per unit area, and generally, when the area of the nonwoven fabric is the same, the light transmittance is more likely to decrease as the weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric is larger. Accordingly, by making the weight per unit area of the

belt members

30 and 40 as large as possible (by reducing the light transmittance), the visibility of the portions of the

main patterns

101 and 102 that overlap the

belt members

30 and 40 can be further reduced.

For example, the sheet member stacked on the non-skin side of the main pattern 101 is only the outer sheet 15b in the front non-overlapping portion 10fd on the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10. On the other hand, 3 sheet members of the outer sheet 15b, the nonwoven fabric 31, and the nonwoven fabric 32 are laminated on the non-skin side of the front main pattern 101 in the front overlapping portion 10fu (see fig. 7). In such a configuration, by decreasing the weight per unit area of the outer sheet 15b and increasing the weight per unit area of the

nonwoven fabrics

31 and 32, the front main pattern 101 is easily visible through the outer sheet 15b in the front non-overlapping portion 10fd, and the front main pattern 101 is hardly visible through the front belt member 30 in the front overlapping portion 10 fu. Therefore, the thickness of the front side band member 30 can be more easily recognized by the user. The same applies to the rear side belt member 40.

The

main patterns

101 and 102 are disposed so that at least a part thereof overlaps with the continuous portion of the cut waist elastic members 35 and 45 (i.e., the portion to which the tensile force is applied from the waist elastic members 35 and 45). In this continuous portion, the waist

elastic members

35, 45 contract, and the

belt members

35, 45 contract in the left-right direction, and form a plurality of gathers having irregularities in the thickness direction. That is, the surfaces of the

belt members

30, 40 are deformed into a corrugated shape. Therefore, the visibility of the portions of the

main patterns

101 and 102 overlapping the wrinkle-formed regions is reduced, and the user can easily recognize the

band members

30 and 40. In addition, by forming a plurality of wrinkles, the

band members

30, 40 are more thickly visible, and can make the user feel softness.

In the diaper 1, the front body joint portion 51 that joins the absorbent body 10 to the front belt member 30 is formed by arranging a plurality of belt-like joint portions 51a in a vertical direction at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction at positions indicated by hatched portions in fig. 5A. The front body joint 51 overlaps the front main pattern 101 at least in a partial region. When the front side belt member 30 (waist elastic member 35) contracts in the left-right direction when the diaper 1 is worn, the portion of the absorbent main body 10 where the belt-like joined portions 51a are formed contracts in the left-right direction together with the front side belt member 30. On the other hand, between the 2 band-shaped joint portions 51a adjacent in the left-right direction, the absorbent body 10 does not contract in the left-right direction, and the front side band member 30 and the absorbent body 10 are easily lifted in the thickness direction so as to be separated from each other. In the floating region, the visibility of the front main pattern 101 is greatly reduced. This makes it easier to recognize the thickness of the front-side belt member 30.

Similarly, the rear body joint portion 52 that joins the absorbent body 10 and the rear belt member 40 is formed by arranging a plurality of belt-like joint portions 52a in a vertical direction at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction as shown by the hatched portion in fig. 5B. Also, the rear body joint 52 and the rear main pattern 102 overlap in at least a partial region. Therefore, between the 2 band-shaped joint portions 52a adjacent in the left-right direction, the rear side band member 40 and the absorbent main body 10 float, and the thickness of the rear side band member 40 is more easily recognized.

In the diaper 1, the main pattern may be provided on at least one of the front side (abdomen side) and the back side (back side) of the absorbent main body 10, and particularly, the back side main pattern 102 is preferably provided on the back side. This is because the rear main pattern 102 is often visually recognized in a state where the diaper 1 is worn by an infant, and the rear main pattern 102 greatly affects the design of the diaper 1. For example, as shown in fig. 6, when an infant wearing the diaper 1 climbs, the rear main pattern 102 is likely to attract the attention of the user (the protector) on the rear side covering the buttocks of the infant, and is likely to give a pleasing impression in addition to the depicted character.

As described above, the visibility of the portion of the rear main pattern 102 that overlaps the rear belt member 40 (the portion disposed in the rear overlapping portion 10bu) is reduced as compared to the portion that does not overlap the rear belt member 40 (the portion disposed in the rear non-overlapping portion 10 bd). Therefore, the thickness of the rear belt member 40 can be easily recognized at a glance, and even when the wearer (infant) performs a crawling exercise, the user (protector) can take care of the wearer with ease without worrying about the strength of the rear belt member 40.

In the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, both the front main pattern 101 and the rear main pattern 102 are provided. The front main pattern 101 and the rear main pattern 102 are different in size and arrangement. First, referring to the arrangement of the front and rear

main patterns

101 and 102, the front main pattern 101 is arranged such that the center position C101 in the vertical direction of the front main pattern 101 is higher than the center position C102 in the vertical direction of the rear main pattern 102. That is, in fig. 5A and 5B, the vertical distance LC101 between the center position C101 of the front main pattern 101 and the bent position C10 is greater than the vertical distance LC102 between the center position C102 of the rear main pattern 102 and the bent position C10 (LC101 > LC 102).

When the diaper 1 is worn by an infant, a crotch portion (a lower portion in the vertical direction) on the front side of the absorbent main body 10 is easily contracted in the width direction (the left-right direction) by being sandwiched between both legs. Therefore, when the front main pattern 101 is disposed in the vicinity of the crotch portion, the front main pattern 101 may contract in the width direction due to contraction of the absorbent body 10, and may be difficult to visually recognize. On the other hand, such a problem is less likely to occur on the rear side of the absorbent main body 10, and the rear main pattern 102 is arranged at a low position, so that it is easy to visually recognize a wide range of the buttocks of the wearer. Therefore, in the diaper 1, the front main pattern 101 is arranged at a position higher than the rear main pattern 102 in the vertical direction, and thus the

main patterns

101 and 102 can be visually recognized in an optimum state when worn.

Next, regarding the sizes of the front and rear

main patterns

101 and 102, the front main pattern 101 is formed so that the size (area) of the front main pattern 101 is smaller than the size (area) of the rear main pattern 102 in the diaper 1. As described above, the rear main pattern 102 is disposed at a position where the user can easily see each time the infant climbs. Further, the visibility in the region overlapping the rear side belt member 40 is reduced, thereby providing a function of making it easy for the user to recognize the thickness of the rear side belt member 40. Therefore, by forming the rear main pattern 102 as large as possible, visibility of the entire rear main pattern 102 is improved, and it is possible to easily recognize that a difference in visibility occurs between a portion overlapping the rear belt member 40 and a portion not overlapping the rear main pattern.

In the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, the area of the portion where the front main pattern 101 overlaps the front belt member 30 is smaller than the area of the portion where the rear main pattern 102 overlaps the rear belt member 40 (see fig. 5A and 5B). Since the front main pattern 101 is arranged at a position where it is easily visible by a user when a wearer (infant) climbs, it is difficult to understand a decrease in visibility due to overlapping with the front belt member 30, as compared with the rear main pattern 102. On the other hand, since the rear main pattern 102 is likely to attract the attention of the user when the infant is crawling as described above, the larger the portion of the rear main pattern 102 overlapping the rear belt member 40 is, the more conspicuous the degree of reduction in the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 in the overlapping portion becomes.

In the diaper 1, the thickness (width) of the outline of the

main patterns

101 and 102 is preferably equal to or larger than a predetermined value (e.g., 3 mm). In the present embodiment, by overlapping a region of a part of the

main patterns

101 and 102 with the

belt members

30 and 40, visibility of the region is actively reduced. Therefore, if the contour line is too thin, the pattern shape of the main pattern may not be recognized. On the other hand, when the contour lines are formed with a thickness of 3mm or more, the shapes of the

main patterns

101 and 102 can be recognized through the plurality of nonwoven fabrics (15b, 31/32, 41/42, etc.) laminated on the

main patterns

101 and 102, and at the same time, it is easy to understand that visibility is lowered. The "outline" refers to a line that forms a pattern outline with respect to the background (here, the leakproof sheet 15a constituting the print medium). When a pattern is formed by full-surface painting (for example, a portion of an ear of a panda in fig. 5A), the full-surface painting portion including an outer edge of the pattern may be considered as a contour line as a whole.

In the diaper 1, when the

main patterns

101 and 102 are formed on the absorbent body 10, the degree of deterioration of visibility in a part of the

main patterns

101 and 102 is made clear by changing the printing conditions in accordance with the region of the absorbent body 10 (the leakproof sheet 15 a).

For example, when the rear main pattern 102 is formed, the printing tone values are adjusted to be equal in the rear overlapping portion 10bu and the rear non-overlapping portion 10bd, and printing is performed. Specifically, the printing is performed such that the average value of the print gradation values of the rear main patterns 102 formed in the region (the rear overlapping portion 10bu) overlapping with the rear belt member 40 is substantially equal to the average value of the print gradation values of the rear main patterns 102 formed in the region (the rear non-overlapping portion 10bd) not overlapping with the rear belt member 40. As a result, an image in which the density of the portion overlapping the rear belt member 40 and the density of the portion not overlapping the rear belt member are substantially the same can be printed in the rear main pattern 102. When such a diaper 1 is viewed from the outside, the rear main pattern 102 is seen to be lighter in density than the actually printed image by laminating a plurality of nonwoven fabrics (15b, 41, 42) on the rear main pattern 102 in the portion (rear overlapping portion 10bu) overlapping with the rear belt member 40. On the other hand, in the portion not overlapping the rear belt member 40 (the rear non-overlapping portion 10bd), since the number of nonwoven fabrics laminated on the rear main pattern 102 is small, the rear main pattern 102 is seen to have the same density as the actually printed image. Therefore, when the user visually recognizes the diaper 1 from the outside, the difference in the density of the images of the rear overlapping section 10bu and the rear non-overlapping section 10bd becomes conspicuous, and the decrease in the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 in the rear overlapping section 10bu becomes clear. The same applies to the front main pattern 101.

Similarly, when the rear main pattern 102 is formed, the brightness may be made substantially the same in the rear overlapping section 10bu and the rear non-overlapping section 10 bd. For example, the printing data for printing the rear main pattern 102 is adjusted so that the luminance of the portion formed in the rear overlap portion 10bu is the same as the luminance of the portion formed in the rear non-overlap portion 10bd, and the printing is performed. In this way, an image can be printed in which the portion overlapping with the rear belt member 40 (rear overlapping portion 10bu) and the non-overlapping portion (rear non-overlapping portion 10bd) have the same degree of brightness among the rear main patterns 102. In this case, the rear main pattern 102 is seen darker than the actually printed image in the rear overlapping portion 10bu when viewed through a plurality of nonwoven fabrics, and the rear main pattern 102 is seen to have the same brightness as the actually printed image in the rear non-overlapping portion 10 bd. Therefore, when the user visually recognizes the diaper 1 from the outside, the difference in brightness between the images of the rear overlapping section 10bu and the rear non-overlapping section 10bd is conspicuously recognized, and the decrease in the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 at the rear overlapping section 10bu becomes clear. The same applies to the front main pattern 101.

In addition, in the diaper 1, the size of the portion of the absorbent body 10 that overlaps with each of the front side belt member 30 and the rear side belt member 40 is adjusted, thereby improving the design. In the example of fig. 7, the height in the vertical direction of the rear upper end 10eb of the absorbent main body 10 is arranged at a position higher than the height in the vertical direction of the front upper end 10 ea. That is, the distance between the front upper end 10ea of the absorbent main body 10 and the folded position C10 is greater than the distance between the rear upper end 10eb and the folded position C10 in the up-down direction, and thus the area of the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10 is greater than the area of the front side surface. In this way, a large printable area is available on the back side, enabling the back side main patterns 102 to be easily formed more freely. This improves the design of the entire diaper 1.

In contrast to the case of fig. 7, the height of the rear upper end 10eb of the absorbent main body 10 in the vertical direction may be set to be the same as or lower than the height of the front upper end 10ea in the vertical direction. In this case, the area of the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10 becomes large, and the printable region on the front side surface becomes large. The crotch region (lower side in the vertical direction) of the front surface is sandwiched between the legs of the wearer when the diaper 1 is worn, and thus the design is difficult to visually recognize. Therefore, by providing a large area in which the front main pattern 101 can be formed on the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10 on the waist opening side (upper side in the vertical direction), it is possible to suppress deterioration of visibility of the front main pattern 101 when the diaper 1 is worn, and to improve the design of the diaper 1.

As shown in fig. 7, the length of the indicator 60 provided on the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10 is longer than the length of the indicator 60 provided on the rear side surface of the absorbent main body 10. In the diaper 1, since the rear main pattern 102 is easily formed larger than the front main pattern 101, if the indicator 60 is arranged long on the rear side, the overlapping portion between the rear main pattern 102 and the indicator 60 is easily increased. In this case, when urination is performed while wearing the diaper 1 and the color of the indicator 60 changes, the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 may be deteriorated in a portion overlapping the indicator 60. In particular, when the wearer (infant) climbs as shown in fig. 6, the deterioration in visibility due to the indicator 60 is likely to be conspicuous, and the function of the rear main pattern 102 that allows the user to see the thickness of the rear belt member 40 may be impaired. That is, there is a possibility that the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 is unnecessarily deteriorated. Then, the length of the indicator 60 in the rear side of the absorbent main body 10 is made smaller than the length of the indicator 60 in the rear side in the diaper 1. This makes it difficult for the rear main pattern 102 and the pointer 60 to overlap each other, and prevents unnecessary deterioration in visibility of the rear main pattern 102.

In the diaper 1, the area of the overlapping portion of the front main pattern 101 and the indicator 60 is larger than the area of the overlapping portion of the rear main pattern 102 and the indicator 60. As described above, when the area where the rear main pattern 102 and the indicator 60 overlap each other is increased, unnecessary deterioration in visibility is likely to be conspicuous. On the other hand, the front main pattern 101 is sandwiched between the wearer's legs when the diaper 1 is worn, and is easily contracted in the left-right direction, and the front main pattern 101 is arranged at a position where it is difficult to visually recognize when the infant is crawling. Therefore, the influence of the deterioration in visibility is smaller than that of the rear main pattern 102. That is, even if the overlapping area of the front main pattern 101 and the indicator 60 becomes large, a problem is unlikely to occur. With this configuration, the user can easily recognize the difference in visibility between the

main patterns

101 and 102 in the region overlapping with the

belt members

30 and 40 and the region not overlapping with each other. Therefore, the thickness of the

belt members

30 and 40 can be recognized by the user based on the difference in visibility of the

main patterns

101 and 102.

The indicator 60 may be provided only on the front side surface of the absorbent main body 10, and may not be provided on the rear side surface. In this way, the area of the overlapping portion of the indicator 60 and the rear main pattern 102 can be minimized, and even when the color of the indicator 60 changes due to urination, unnecessary deterioration in the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 can be easily suppressed.

Further, the indicator 60 may be disposed so that the rear main pattern 102 does not overlap the indicator 60. If the rear main pattern 102 and the indicator 60 do not overlap with each other, the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 is less likely to be affected even when the color of the indicator 60 changes due to urination, and therefore, unnecessary deterioration of the visibility of the rear main pattern 102 is more likely to be suppressed.

Other embodiments are also possible

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments are for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the present invention naturally includes equivalent configurations. For example, the following modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the material of the outer sheet 15b, the front side belt member 30, and the rear side belt member 40 is a nonwoven fabric, but the present invention is not limited to the nonwoven fabric. For example, the sheet member may be a woven fabric, or may be a sheet member other than a woven fabric. Incidentally, the outer sheet 15b may be omitted, and in this case, the leakage-preventing sheet 15a constitutes the outside of the absorbent main body 10.

In the above embodiment, the rubber threads are exemplified as the waist elastic members 35, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a belt-shaped rubber member, a stretchable belt-shaped nonwoven fabric, or a stretchable belt-shaped resin film may be used as the waist elastic member 35.

Description of the reference numerals

1 diaper (absorbent article);

1HB waist opening; 1HL leg surrounding an opening;

10 an absorbent main body;

10ea front side upper end; the upper end of the rear side of 10 eb;

a 10fu front-side overlap portion; 10fd front non-overlapping section;

a 10bu rear overlap; a 10bd rear non-overlapping portion;

11 an absorbent core;

11a front side end portion; 11b rear-side end portion; 11c a neck reduction;

13 a surface sheet member;

15a back sheet member;

15a anti-leakage sheet; 15b an outer sheet; a 15bf portion;

17 a leg elastic member; 18 LSG elastic member; 19 a leg-surrounding auxiliary elastic member;

30 a front side belt member;

30ea upper end; 30ew side edge joint parts;

31 a nonwoven fabric; 32 a nonwoven fabric; 32f a front side folded back portion; 32feb lower end;

35 waist elastic members; 37a strap member engagement portion; 37a, 37b belt member engaging portions;

38 pieces of component;

40 a rear side belt member;

40ea upper end; 40ew side edge joint parts;

41 a nonwoven fabric; 42 a nonwoven fabric; 42f a rear-side folded back portion; 42feb lower end;

45 waist elastic members; 47a strap member engagement portion; 47a, 47b belt member engagement portions;

48 pieces of component;

51a front side body engagement portion; 51a band-shaped joint;

52a rear body engagement portion; 52a band-shaped joint;

60 an indicator;

70 aligning the mark;

101 a front main pattern;

102 a rear main pattern;

c10 bend position;

folding the LG leg girth;

LSG three-dimensional wrinkles (leakage preventing walls).

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction and a front-rear direction intersecting each other,

the absorbent article includes:

an absorbent main body extending in the vertical direction and bent in the front-rear direction at a crotch portion;

a front belt member extending in the left-right direction and joined to a front upper end portion of the absorbent main body on a front side,

the front upper end is a portion with respect to the up-down direction; and

a rear belt member extending in the left-right direction and joined to a rear upper end portion of the absorbent main body on a rear side,

the rear-side upper end portion is a portion with respect to the up-down direction,

the rear side belt member and the front side belt member are independent from each other,

both ends in the left-right direction of the front belt member are joined to both ends in the left-right direction of the rear belt member,

the absorbent main body includes:

a liquid-absorbent core;

a liquid-impermeable leakproof sheet arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent core; and

a main pattern provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side on a non-skin side of the leakage preventive sheet,

an area of the main pattern is equal to or larger than 40% of an area of the non-skin side surface of the one side in a state where the absorbent body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction,

an area of a portion of the one belt member overlapping the main pattern in a state where the absorbent body is elongated in the up-down direction and the left-right direction is greater than or equal to 50% of an area of the main pattern.

2. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the main pattern is disposed across a boundary between a region where the absorbent main body and the belt member on the one side overlap each other and a region where the absorbent main body and the belt member on the one side do not overlap each other.

3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2,

the front belt member and the rear belt member each have a skin-side nonwoven fabric and a non-skin-side nonwoven fabric,

the skin-side nonwoven fabric and the non-skin-side nonwoven fabric are overlapped and joined together in the thickness direction via a tape member joint,

at least a portion of the main pattern does not overlap with an area where the belt member joint portion is provided.

4. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the absorptive body has an outer sheet on the non-skin side with respect to the leakage preventive sheet, and has a first surface and a second surface

The weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the front side belt member and the rear side belt member is larger than the weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric forming the outer sheet.

5. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the front side belt member and the rear side belt member each have a waist elastic member stretchable in the left-right direction,

at least a part of the main pattern overlaps with a region to which a tensile force is applied by the waist elastic member.

6. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the front side belt member and the rear side belt member are respectively joined to the absorbent main body via a main body joining portion,

the main body joint part is composed of a plurality of belt-shaped joint parts extending in the vertical direction and arranged at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction, and

at least a portion of the main pattern overlaps with an area where the body joint is provided.

7. The absorbent article of claim 1,

a rear main pattern is provided on the rear side of the absorbent main body.

8. The absorbent article of claim 1,

a front main pattern is provided on the front side of the absorbent main body,

a rear main pattern is provided on the rear side of the absorbent main body, and

the center position of the front main pattern is positioned higher than the center position of the rear main pattern in the up-down direction.

9. The absorbent article of claim 8,

the area of the front side main pattern is smaller than that of the rear side main pattern.

10. The absorbent article of claim 8 or 9,

an area of a portion where the front main pattern and the front belt member overlap each other is smaller than an area of a portion where the rear main pattern and the rear belt member overlap each other.

11. The absorbent article of claim 1,

an average value of printing gradation values of the main pattern in a portion where the main pattern and one side surface of the absorbent body overlap each other is equal to an average value of the printing gradation values of the main pattern in a portion where the main pattern and the one side surface of the absorbent body do not overlap each other.

12. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the contour lines forming the outer shape of the main pattern have a thickness of 3mm or more.

13. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the primary design has the same design as the pictorial character displayed on the article package of the absorbent article.

14. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the position of the rear upper end of the absorbent main body is higher than the position of the front upper end of the absorbent main body in the up-down direction.

15. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the absorbent main body includes an indicator extending in the up-down direction and changing in color by contact with moisture, and

the indicator disposed on the front side of the absorbent main body has a length in the vertical direction that is greater than a length in the vertical direction of the indicator disposed on the rear side of the absorbent main body.

16. The absorbent article of claim 15,

a front main pattern is provided on the front side of the absorbent main body,

an area of a portion where the front side main pattern and the indicator overlap each other is larger than an area of a portion where the rear side main pattern and the indicator overlap each other.

17. The absorbent article of claim 15 or 16,

the indicator is not disposed on the rear side of the absorbent main body.

18. The absorbent article of claim 15 or 16,

the rear main pattern and the indicator do not overlap each other.