EA037713B1 - Absorbent article, and method for producing pull-up type absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an absorbent article having a vertical direction and a lateral direction, the absorbent article including an absorbent main body (10) including an absorbent body, the absorbent main body (10) having a longitudinal direction that conforms to the vertical direction; and waist-circumference sections in a pair (20, 30) respectively located on one end side and another end side in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body (10), the waist-circumference sections each including an elastic member (22, 32) stretchable in the lateral direction, the absorbent main body (10) including extension sections in a pair (60) respectively extending outward on two lateral sides of the absorbent body (12), the extension sections (60) each having an elastic member (61) stretchable in the vertical direction placed therein, the extension sections (60) being formed extending laterally outward from a position on a non-skin side of the absorbent body (12) using a continuous sheet (14) that is continuous in the lateral direction, a welded region (62) having a predetermined length in the lateral direction being placed in a portion where each of the extension sections (60) forms a leg opening.

Description

The technical field to which the invention relates

The present disclosure relates to an absorbent article and a method of making a pull-on absorbent article.

Prior art

The absorbent article includes a disposable diaper as an example. A disposable diaper including an absorbent body and a belt is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. The belt of this diaper includes an inner sheet portion, an outer sheet portion, and a sheet portion defining an elastic cushion interposed between these sheet portions. The waist stretcher is also secured in a stretched state between the outer sheet portion and the elastic strip forming sheet portion. The sheet portion forming a cushion and the inner sheet portion are intermittently joined together at the waist circumference. Accordingly, gaps are formed in the non-bonded portions in which the sheet portion forming the elastic and the inner sheet portion are not bonded together, whereby it is possible to reduce irritation generated on the skin of the wearer.

List of links

Patent Literature

Patent Literary Source 1

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-70711

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

To prevent lateral leakage of secretions, the aforementioned diaper is configured such that the second barrier cuffs (projecting sections) are provided so that they protrude outwardly on both sides of the absorbent member, whereby a snug fit of the second barrier cuffs around the wearer's legs is ensured. Each of the second barrier cuffs includes three stretch members arranged in rows along the lateral direction and has a certain width in the lateral direction. However, the elastic elements around the waist circumference easily affect the second barrier cuffs, and therefore the second barrier cuffs can be pulled laterally or twisted. In such a case, it is impossible for the second barrier cuffs to fit snugly around the legs of the wearer through surface contact, thereby reducing the leakage prevention efficiency. In addition, the second barrier cuffs are formed by joining the side sheet and the cover sheet together. Accordingly, there is a possibility of leakage out of the seam between the two sheets.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an absorbent article in which leakage around the legs is suppressed.

Solution to the problem

The main aspect of the present disclosure is an absorbent article having a vertical direction and a lateral direction, wherein the absorbent article comprises an absorbent body including an absorbent body, wherein the absorbent body has a longitudinal direction that corresponds to the vertical direction and a pair of circumferential sections located on one end side and the other end side, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body, the sections around the circumference of the waist include an elastic member extending in the lateral direction, the absorbent body including two protruding sections projecting outward, respectively, from the two lateral sides of the absorbent element, each of the protruding sections has an elastic element stretching in the vertical direction and placed therein, while the protruding sections are formed by protruding in the lateral direction outward from a location on the non-skin side of the absorbent by using a continuous sheet that is laterally continuous, with a welded area having a predetermined lateral length located at a portion in which each of the protruding sections forms an opening for the legs.

At least the following issues will become clear from the descriptions in the present description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Preferred Effects of the Invention

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a pull-on absorbent article in which leakage around the legs is suppressed.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a pull-on disposable diaper 1;

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

fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a diaper 1;

- 1 037713 fig. 4A and 4B are schematic views for explaining a method of forming an absorbent body 10;

fig. 5 is an explanatory schematic view of the absorbent body 10 and the adhesive regions 40 of the two waist sections 20, 30;

fig. 6 is a schematic view for explaining the characteristics of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60;

fig. 7 is an enlarged schematic view illustrating side welded zones 62 and vertical welded zones 66;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the protruding portions 60 that enclose the legs fit snugly against the wearer;

fig. 9A-9C are schematic views for explaining modified examples of side welded zones 62;

fig. 10 is a block diagram for illustrating the manufacturing sequence of the absorbent body 10;

fig. 11 is a plan view and sectional view for illustrating the placement process of LSG elastic members;

fig. 12 is a plan and sectional view for explaining the formation of welded zones;

fig. 13 is an enlarged schematic view illustrating area A in FIG. 12;

fig. 14 is a plan view and sectional view for explaining the placement of elastic members;

fig. 15 is a plan and sectional view for explaining the movement of the absorbent member;

fig. 16 is a plan view and sectional view for explaining the process of forming the protruding sections that enclose the legs.

Description of embodiments

At least the following issues will become clear from the descriptions in the present description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An absorbent article having a vertical direction and a lateral direction, wherein the absorbent article comprises an absorbent body including an absorbent body, wherein the absorbent body has a longitudinal direction that corresponds to the vertical direction, and two sections around the circumference of the waist, respectively with one the end side and the other end side defined in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body, wherein the waist sections include a laterally stretchable elastic member, the absorbent body includes two protruding sections protruding outwardly from two lateral sides of the absorbent element, each of the protruding sections has an elastic element stretching in the vertical direction and placed therein, while the protruding sections are formed protruding laterally outward from some place located with the side of the absorbent body not facing the skin by using a continuous sheet that is laterally continuous, with a welded area having a predetermined lateral length located at a portion in which each of the protruding sections forms a leg opening. According to the design of such an absorbent article, the protruding sections have higher lateral rigidity in the portions in which the protruding sections form leg openings, and it is possible for such portions to maintain a certain lateral width, thereby allowing them to fit snugly around the wearer's legs. due to surface contact. Accordingly, leakage around the legs is suppressed. In addition, there is no seam in the sheet open on the surfaces of the protruding sections on the non-skin side and in the area near them, whereby leakage of secretions outward from the seams between the sheets is suppressed. In such an absorbent article, the welded area includes a first welded area and a second welded area, and in a portion in which each of the projecting sections forms a leg opening, a portion of a continuous sheet in which the first welded area is located, and a portion of a continuous sheet in which a second welded zone is located, superimposed on each other due to bending of the protruding sections in the thickness direction. According to the construction of such an absorbent article, the lateral rigidity is further increased in the portions in which the protruding sections form leg openings, and therefore there is a possibility of maintaining a certain lateral width of such portions, whereby leakage around the legs is reliably suppressed. In such an absorbent article, at least a portion of the first welded areas and at least a portion of the second welded areas in a plan view do not overlap one another in the thickness direction. According to the design of such an absorbent article, the welded areas are present in a wider flat surface area in the portions in which the protruding sections form leg openings, so that the lateral rigidity additionally

- 2 037713 rises, whereby leakage around the legs is more reliably suppressed. In such an absorbent article, the welded area is located inwardly with respect to the lateral outward end of each of the protruding sections. According to the construction of such an absorbent article, the laterally outer end portions of the portions in which the protruding sections form the leg openings are soft and thus comfortable on the skin. In addition, the compressive force from the legs of the wearer is absorbed, and therefore there is a possibility of maintaining a certain width of such portions in the lateral direction, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed. In such an absorbent article, a continuous sheet is folded onto itself at a portion in which each of the projecting sections forms a leg opening, a liquid-impermeable sheet is interposed between the absorbent member and the continuous sheet and between portions of the folded continuous sheet, and a non-permeable sheet for liquids, located inwardly to the lateral outward end of each of the projecting sections. According to the construction of such an absorbent article, the laterally outer end portions of the portions in which the protruding sections form the leg openings are soft and thus comfortable on the skin. In addition, the compressive force from the legs of the wearer is absorbed, and therefore there is a possibility of maintaining a certain width of such portions in the lateral direction, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed. In such an absorbent article, an elastic member that is vertically stretchable and is positioned in each of the protruding sections intersects with the welded area.

According to the design of such an absorbent article, in the portions in which the protruding sections form leg openings, the portions on which the welded zones are located rise as a whole towards the side of the wearer due to the retraction of the elastic members, whereby they fit snugly around the wearer's legs. surface contact. In such an absorbent article, an elastic member that is vertically stretchable and disposed in each of the protruding sections is disposed at a location laterally between the absorbent member and the welded area.

According to the design of such an absorbent article, the portions in which the protruding sections form leg openings are lifted towards the wearer's side due to the contraction of the elastic members, so that a certain height is provided when standing, thereby allowing the protruding sections to fit snugly around the wearer's legs. In such an absorbent article, an elastic member that is vertically stretchable and disposed in the protruding section is located at the location of the lateral outer end of each of the protruding sections. According to the design of such an absorbent article, the locations in which the protruding sections form the leg openings can fit snugly against the wearer up to locations corresponding to the laterally outward ends. In such an absorbent article, the absorbent body includes two leakage-preventing wall sections, respectively, on the two side portions of the absorbent member, wherein the leakage-preventing wall sections are lifted towards the wearer, and the leakage-preventing wall sections are formed through the use of a continuous sheet. According to the construction of such an absorbent article, there is no seam on the sheet at the interface between the protruding section and the leakage preventing wall section, whereby leakage around the legs is further suppressed. In such an absorbent article, two protruding sections are formed by using a continuous sheet that is common to the protruding sections. According to the construction of such an absorbent article, there is no seam on the sheet exposed on the side of the surface of the absorbent body that does not face the skin, whereby leakage from the seam between the sheets is suppressed. In addition, the two protruding sections rise together as one piece when the diaper is worn, and therefore the two protruding sections can fit snugly around the wearer's legs in a balanced manner. In addition, there is proposed a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article having a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a thickness direction, wherein the pull-on absorbent article includes an absorbent body and an outer sheet, wherein the absorbent body has a longitudinal direction corresponding to the vertical direction, the outer sheet is superimposed on the absorbent member on the non-skin side, the outer sheet extends laterally outward from the location on the non-skin side of the absorbent body, the outer sheet is laterally continuous, the method comprising: the step of forming a welded zone comprising in forming a welded area having a predetermined lateral length by welding a portion in which the outer sheet is superposed thereon in the thickness direction; the step of placing the elastic element, which consists in placing the elastic element in a predetermined area of the outer sheet, wherein the elastic element is stretchable in the vertical direction, and the step of forming the protruding sections covering the legs, consisting in forming each of the protruding sections covering the legs, in which, at least part of the elastic element laterally overlaps the welded area, with the protruding sections covering

- 3 037713 feet, respectively, protrude from the two lateral sides of the absorbent body. According to such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, the design of the welded zones suppresses contraction of the protruding sections covering the legs and their lateral twisting. This makes it possible to obtain a pull-on absorbent article in which it is possible for the protruding sections, which embrace the legs, to remain flat with a certain width in the lateral direction. In addition, the vertical pulling force acts on the leg-wrap elastic members, whereby many folds are formed along the lateral direction on the surface of the leg-wrap protruding sections. With the undulating shapes of such folds, a stretchable absorbent article can be obtained with a pleasant feel. In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that, in the step of forming a welded zone, two portions of the outer sheet in the unfolded state, end in the lateral direction, are folded on them from the outside inwardly in the lateral direction, and the welded zone is formed in the folded portion obtained by folding the outer in the thickness direction, and so that in the step of forming the protruding sections enclosing the legs, the protruding section enclosing the leg is formed by folding the two laterally-terminated outer sheet portions thereon themselves again from outside to inside. According to such an absorbent article, the protruding sections are integrally formed by folding one outer sheet onto itself, and therefore there is no seam in the sheet member formed in the protruding sections. This suppresses leakage of fluid from the seam between sheets in the area around the legs of the wearer. In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that in the step of placing the elastic member, the elastic member is positioned so that it overlaps at least a portion of the welded areas in the lateral direction. According to such a method for making a pull-on absorbent article, welding can be performed without cutting the elastic members surrounding the legs. That is, in the protruding sections covering the legs, welded areas can be formed in the areas overlapping the elastic members that enclose the legs without negatively affecting the tensile force of the elastic members covering the legs. Accordingly, it is easy to make a pull-on absorbent article having protruding sections that wrap around the legs and which are likely to remain flat and less likely to curl when worn. In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that the welded area includes a first welded area and a second welded area, and that the first welded area and the second welded area are discontinuous in the lateral direction. According to such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, portions having high rigidity and portions having low rigidity can be made in portions in which welded zones are formed and in portions in which welded zones are not formed in the lateral direction in the outer sheet. In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that in the step of forming the protruding sections covering the legs, the outer sheet is folded onto itself at a predetermined location laterally between the first welded area and the second welded area. According to this method of manufacturing the pull-on absorbent article, the stiffness of the outer sheet does not become too high at predetermined locations, whereby the outer sheet can be tightly folded at these predetermined locations. Accordingly, there is a likelihood of the formation of protruding sections covering the legs with neat flat shapes. In such a method for manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that the welded area is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the lateral direction.

According to such a method for manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, welded zones are formed by successively shifting the point of application of pressure together with the rotation of an embossing roller, which is configured to form a welded zone, so that localized weld defects or the like are less likely to occur and a stable weld is obtained. ... In addition, since the pressure application site is successively displaced, the protrusions (for example, ultrasonic corneal protrusions) formed on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roller are less likely to wear away, thereby enabling efficient production of the stretch absorbent article.

In such a method for manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that the welded area is formed such that a plurality of points are arranged in a specific order in the lateral direction.

According to such a method for manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, partial welding is performed using spot welded portions so that the size of each of the welded portions (dots) becomes small, whereby an easily attainable concentration and repeated exposure of individual spots to ultrasonic vibrations or the like are ensured. This ensures that welding can be performed stably over the entire length of the welded zone.

In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that the two wall sections, preventing leakage and configured to rise towards

- 4,037713 to the skin side of the wearer, were respectively formed on the two side portions of the absorbent member, and so that a welded area was formed at a location not laterally overlapping the location corresponding to the base for lifting each of the leakage-preventing wall sections.

According to such a method of manufacturing the absorbent article to be pulled, the portion (side bonded portions 53) serving as a base for lifting each of the leakage preventing wall sections does not overlap the welded area, whereby the stiffening of the outer sheet in the region of the base is suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible for the outer sheet to bend naturally at the locations of the side joined portions, whereby the leakage-preventing wall sections can be easily lifted.

In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that a plurality of elastic members are provided side by side in the lateral direction in each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections, and that an elastic member of the plurality of elastic members provided on the side innermost in the lateral direction was placed at a location laterally between the absorbent body and the welded area.

According to this method of manufacturing the pull-on absorbent article, the portions located outside laterally with respect to the elastic members (61a) in the projecting sections enclosing the legs serve as bases for lifting toward the skin side of the wearer when the pull-on absorbent article is worn by pulling an elastic member (61a) provided furthest inwardly in the lateral direction, and the height of the projecting sections enclosing the legs in a standing position is ensured.

Accordingly, there is a likelihood of the leg-enclosing protruding sections being snugly fitted around the wearer's legs.

In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, it is preferable that a plurality of elastic members are provided side by side in the lateral direction in each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections, and that an elastic member of the plurality of elastic members provided on the side outermost in the lateral direction was placed at the end of each of the leg-enclosing, projecting sections, outward in the lateral direction.

According to such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, there is a possibility that the leg-enclosing protruding sections will fit snugly around the wearer's legs due to the tightening force exerted by the elastic members (61d) provided on the side furthest from the center in the lateral direction. Accordingly, there is a possibility of suppressing the deterioration of the fit of the leg-enclosing protruding sections even when the leg-enclosing protruding sections are less likely to remain flat at the laterally outer end portions.

In such a method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article, a liquid-impermeable backsheet is provided on the skin-facing side of an elastic member that is positioned to overlap the welded area in the lateral direction.

According to this method of manufacturing the pull-on absorbent article, the backsheet is positioned to cover the skin-facing side of the leg elastic members, thereby suppressing the situation in which the leg elastic members are exposed from the skin-facing side, thus that the adhesion of the adhesive applied to the surface of the elastic elements covering the legs to the body of the wearer is eliminated. In addition, since the end connected portions and the side connected portions are prevented from contacting the leg elastic members, the pulling force exerted by the leg elastic members on the waist sections is suppressed. Embodiments

The absorbent article (pull-on absorbent article) according to the present disclosure will be further described using the following embodiment, in which a pull-on disposable diaper is used as an example. The pull-on disposable diaper according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be used for children or adults.

Basic configuration of a pull-on disposable diaper

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a pull-on disposable diaper 1 (hereinafter referred to as a diaper). FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and stretched state as viewed from the side facing the skin. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the diaper 1. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic views for explaining a method of forming the absorbent body 10. FIG. 5 is an explanatory schematic view of the absorbent body 10 and the adhesive regions 40 of the two waist sections 20, 30. It should be noted that with the exception of FIG. 1, the drawings illustrate states in which a diaper 1 provided with elastic

- 5,037,713 elements, has been stretched to such an extent that the folds in the diaper 1 are not visible. In particular, the illustrated stretched state means a state of being stretched to such an extent that the dimensions of the elements constituting the diaper 1 (for example, such as the dimensions of the outer sheet 14 described later) match or are close to the dimensions of the individual elements as such. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vertical direction, the lateral direction and the front-back direction are defined in the pull-on diaper 1. In the diaper 1, a waist hole BH and two leg holes LH are formed. In the vertical direction, the side of the waist hole BH is the upper side, and the side to be located in the wearer's crotch is the lower side. In the front-to-back direction, the side that will be located on the side of the wearer's abdomen is the front side, and the side that will be located on the back side of the wearer is the back side. The diaper 1 has a thickness direction illustrated in FIG. 3. The side in the thickness direction that will contact the wearer is the side facing the skin and the side opposite to it is the side not facing the skin.

The diaper 1 is what is called a three-piece diaper and includes an absorbent body 10 and two waist sections 20, 30. The absorbent body 10 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view with its longitudinal direction oriented along the vertical direction. The waist sections 20, 30 have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, with their longitudinal directions oriented along the lateral direction. The waist section of two waist sections 20, 30 that will cover the wearer's abdomen is also referred to as the front waist section 20, and the section that will cover the back of the wearer is also referred to as the back waist section 30 ...

As illustrated in the unfolded state in FIG. 2, a side-central portion of the front waist section 20 is positioned on the side of one end of the absorbent body 10 in the longitudinal direction, and a side-central portion of the rear waist section 30 is positioned on the side of the other end of the absorbent body 10 in the longitudinal direction. Thereafter, the surface of the absorbent body 10 on the non-skin side and the surfaces of the two waist sections 20, 30 on the skin side are bonded together by an adhesive or the like in the adhesive regions 40 illustrated in FIG. 5. From the unfolded state of FIG. 2, the absorbent body 10 is folded in half by folding the absorbent body 10 at a substantially longitudinally central portion thereof so that the front waist section 20 and the rear waist section 30 are superimposed. Then, the diaper 1 is converted into a pull-on diaper by connecting the two side portions 20a of the front section 20 around the waist with the corresponding two side portions 30a of the back section 30 around the waist.

Each of the front waist section 20 and the back waist section 30 includes two soft sheets (21 and 21 and 31 and 31) of a nonwoven fabric or the like and a plurality of elastic members 22, 32 such as lateral stretch , elastic veins or the like. In the description below, the elastic members 22, 32 are also referred to as waist elastic members 22, 32. The plural waist elastic members 22, 32 are arranged in rows and spaced from each other in the vertical direction, and fixed between the two sheets (21 and 21 or 31 and 31) in a state in which they are stretched along the lateral direction. The front waist section 20 and the rear waist section 30, respectively, can be stretched laterally to fit the waist of the wearer.

The absorbent body 10 includes a topsheet 11, an absorbent body 12, a backsheet 13, and an outer sheet 14 arranged in this order in the thickness direction from the skin-facing side as illustrated in FIG. 3. The topsheet 11 can be any sheet as long as it is a liquid-permeable sheet, and examples thereof include an air-bonded hydrophilic nonwoven fabric and a hydrophilic spunbond nonwoven fabric. The back sheet 13 can be any sheet as long as it is a liquid-impermeable sheet, and examples thereof include a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, and the like. The topsheet 11 and backsheet 13 are sized to enclose the entire absorbent body 12. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the side portions on the two lateral sides of the topsheet 11 are folded towards the non-skin side of the absorbent body 12. The outer sheet 14 may be a liquid-permeable sheet or a liquid-impermeable sheet. However, since in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the leakage preventing wall sections 50 are formed using the outer sheet 14, examples of the outer sheet 14 include a hydrophobic SMS nonwoven fabric (spunbond layer (S), airlaid layer (M)) by the melt process, the spunbond layer (S)) and the like.

- 6 037713

The absorbent member 12 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and includes an absorbent core 121 for absorbing liquid and a core wrap sheet 122 covering the outer peripheral surfaces of the absorbent core 121. The absorbent core 121 is formed by molding a liquid absorbent material to a predetermined shape, and in an embodiment of the present disclosure, molded into a substantially hourglass shape having a tapered portion central in its longitudinal direction. Examples of the liquid-absorbent material include materials obtained by holding a highly absorbent polymer (so-called SAP), etc. in fibers that absorb liquids, such as cellulose fibers. Examples of the core wrapping sheet 122 include a liquid-permeable sheet such as tissue paper, a nonwoven fabric, or the like. It should be noted that the core wrapping sheet 122 need not be provided.

The absorbent body 10 includes two wall sections 50 to prevent leakage and two protruding sections 60 that enclose the legs (two protruding sections). More details will be described later, however, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the two anti-leakage wall sections 50 and the two protruding leg sections 60 are integrally formed such that the two side portions of one outer sheet 14 are folded as illustrated in FIG. 3 and 4. Two leakage preventing wall sections 50 extend along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 10 and are respectively provided adjacent to the two side portions of the absorbent member 12. More specifically, the two leakage preventing wall sections 50 are formed to extend from the point where they are applied to the absorbent member 12 to the point where they project laterally outward from it. Each of the leakage preventing wall sections 50 includes an elastic member 51 (hereinafter also referred to as an elastic member LSG 51) stretching in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction of the diaper 1), and two end connected portions 52 and a side connected portion 53, in of which an outer sheet 14 for forming the leakage preventing wall sections 50 is attached to the topsheet 11 and the backsheet 13. Pairs of end joined portions 52 are respectively located in the region of the two longitudinally end portions of the absorbent body 10. Two side connected portions 53 extend from one end to the other end of the absorbent body 10, defined in the longitudinal direction, and are disposed laterally outwardly with respect to the end connected portions 52. Thus, in each of the leakage preventing wall sections 50, a portion of the outer sheet 14 located between the two end joined portions 52 can be lifted towards the wearer (on the side facing the skin and defined in the thickness direction) from the side joined portion 53 as a base due to the retraction of the elastic members 51. Accordingly, the discharge flowing outward laterally, blocked by wall sections 50, preventing leakage. However, the diaper 1 can also be made without the wall sections 50 to prevent leakage.

The two leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 are respectively portions that protrude outwardly from the two lateral sides of the absorbent body 12. More specifically, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 are defined as portions extending from the respective lateral outer ends of the absorbent member 12 to the lateral outer ends of the absorbent body 10. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5, each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 includes a leg opening portion 60a for defining each of the leg openings LH and two overlapping portions 60b that respectively overlap the front waist section 20 and the rear section 30 around the waist in the vertical direction. In other words, each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 includes two overlapping portions 60b superimposed in the thickness direction on the front waist section 20 and the rear waist section 30, respectively. Each of the leg extending sections 60 includes four elastic members 61 (hereinafter also referred to as leg elastic members 61) stretched in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction of the diaper 1) and spaced in the lateral direction. Accordingly, those portions 60a of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 that form the leg openings abut around the legs of the wearer.

A plurality of side welded areas 62 (welded areas of the present disclosure) are disposed in each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 such that each side welded area extends along the lateral direction at an angle relative to the lateral direction. The plurality of side welded regions 62 include, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of first side sealed areas 63 located in the thickness direction on the skin side and a plurality of second side sealed areas 64 located on the non-skin side defined in the thickness direction. A plurality of first side weld zones 63 and a plurality of second side weld zones 64, as illustrated in FIG. 5 are spaced longitudinally in a row along the entire length of each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 in the longitudinal direction. 66 vertical welded zones along the vertical

7,037713 directions (longitudinal direction), respectively, are located in the projecting sections 60, enclosing the legs, at locations located laterally inwardly with respect to the side welded zones 62. Vertical welded zones 66 are also located along the entire length of each of the projecting sections 60, covering the legs in the longitudinal direction and include first vertical welded zones 67 located on the side defined in the thickness direction and facing the skin, and second vertical welded zones 68 located on the side defined in the thickness direction and not facing the skin. Although an example has been given in which cord-like elastic members such as elastic veins are used as elastic members (22, 32, 51, 61) provided in the front waist section 20, back waist section 30 , wall sections 50, preventing leakage, and protruding sections 60, covering the legs, this is not a limitation. For example, one or a plurality of sheet-like elastic members, such as stretch film, stretch nonwoven fabric, or the like, may be placed in them instead of elastic veins. In addition, only the portions in which the extensibility appears in the elastic members (so-called effective length portions) are illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly, portions of the elastic members in which the extensibility does not appear may be present on those sides of the illustrated elastic members that are longitudinally outer. The placement and quantities of the elastic members are not limited to the placement and quantities in the illustrated configuration.

Method for forming an absorbent body 10

Next, referring to FIG. 4, a simple description will be given of a method for forming two leakage preventing wall sections 50 and two leg enclosing protruding sections 60 by using one outer sheet 14. A detailed method of manufacturing the absorbent body 10 during the manufacturing process of the diaper 1 will be explained later.

First, as illustrated on the left side in FIG. 4A and 4B, an elastic member 51 used for the leakage preventing wall section 50 is attached to each side portion of the outer sheet 14 in a state in which the elastic member 51 is stretched along the longitudinal direction. Thereafter, using the location in the lateral direction in which the elastic member 51 is attached for each leakage preventing wall section 50 as the fold location f1, the two side portions of the outer sheet 14 are folded toward the skin facing side determined in the thickness direction (inward laterally). Then, as illustrated on the right side in FIG. 4A and 4B, the side welded zones 62 and the vertical welded zones 66 form, partially welded together, portions of the outer sheet 14 that has been folded onto itself to form two layers. Specifically, in each of the portions in which the outer sheet 14 forms two layers, a plurality of first side welded portions 63 are formed in a laterally outer side portion and are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of second side welded portions 64 is formed on the side inner portion in the lateral direction and is formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction. A first vertical welded zone 67 is formed laterally on the outside with respect to the first side welded regions 63 and a second vertical welded region 68 is formed laterally inwardly with respect to the second side welded regions 64. The welded regions 62, 66 may be formed by a known welding process. and examples thereof include heat sealing, ultrasonic welding, laser beam welding, and the like. Adhesive is then applied to the surface of the double-layer outer sheet 14 on the skin side at a portion laterally outward of the side welded regions 62 to form end joined portions 52 and a side joined portion 53 of the wall sections 50 to prevent leakage. Thereafter, the four leg elastic members 61 are attached to the surface of the outer sheet 14 on the skin-facing side in the part located in the lateral direction with respect to the lateral bonded portion 53 in a state in which they are stretched along the longitudinal direction. Thereafter, the backsheet 13 and the absorbent member 12 wrapped in the topsheet 11 are applied to and attached to the lateral center portion of the outer sheet 14.

Finally, the side portions on the two lateral sides of the outer sheet 14 are respectively folded towards the skin-facing side defined in the thickness direction with respect to the topsheet 11 at respective fold locations f2 between the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64, whereby the absorbent body 10 illustrated in FIG. 3. That is, each of the side portions on the two side sides of the outer sheet 14 is folded to form a four-layer component. This causes the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 to overlap in the thickness direction and the first vertical welded regions 67 and the second vertical welded regions 68 to overlap in the thickness direction. In the following description, the respective portions of the outer sheet 14 forming four layers are also referred to as the first sheet portion 14a, the second sheet portion 14b, the third sheet portion 14c, and the fourth sheet portion 14d located in this order from the skin-facing side defined in the direction thickness. Each wall section 50 preventing leakage is formed by a first sheet portion 14a

- 8,037713 and a second sheet portion 14b, and each leg section 60 is formed by a first sheet portion 14a through a fourth sheet portion 14d.

Over-the-leg, protruding section 60

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the characteristics of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60. FIG. 7 is an enlarged schematic view illustrating the side welded regions 62 and the vertical welded regions 66. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the protruding portions 60 that enclose the legs fit snugly against the wearer. It should be noted that the leakage preventing wall sections 50 and the like are excluded in FIG. 8 for brevity.

In the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 in the lateral direction is set relatively large. For example, when in the S size infant diaper 1, the lateral width of the absorbent body 10 is 200 mm, the lateral width of each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is set to about 40 mm. This allows the leg-wrap protruding sections 60 to fit snugly around the wearer's legs through a wider surface. Accordingly, leakage around the legs is unlikely. In addition, since the width of the leg-covering protruding sections 60 is set large in the lateral direction, a plurality of veins (four in this case) of the leg-covering elastic members 61 can be disposed side by side at intervals in the lateral direction. Accordingly, the pulling force of the leg-wrap protruding sections 60, which is necessary to obstruct lateral leakage, can be distributed among the plurality of leg-wrap elastic members 61. That is, since a lesser tensile force can be provided to each vein of the leg elastic members 61, stress on the skin caused by local tight contact with the leg elastic members 61 can be prevented. Elastic elements 22, 32 around the waist circumference, which are stretchable in the lateral direction, are provided in the sections 20, 30 around the circumference of the waist so that the disposable diaper 1 fits around the waist of the wearer. Accordingly, the waist elastic members 22, 32 can affect the leg opening portions 60a in the protruding leg portions 60, and these portions can be pulled laterally or curled inward or outward. For example, if the diapers 1 are individually packaged with the leg opening portions 60a in a twisted and folded state, during the manufacturing process of the diaper 1, folding marks will remain in the leg opening portions 60a, resulting in the wearing of the diapers 1. with the leg openings 60a in a folded state. In particular, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are formed from the outer sheet 14 of the absorbent body 10 and include overlapping portions 60b that overlap the waist sections 20, 30. As illustrated in FIG. 5, portions of the overlapping portions 60b are joined to the waist sections 20, 30 by adhesive regions 40. Thus, there is a possibility that the overlapping portions 60b will be affected by the lateral tightening of the sections 20, 30 around the waist circumference, and accordingly it is possible for the leg opening portions 60a to be twisted or pulled laterally. This may make it impossible for the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 to fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, even though the width of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is set large. In addition, assuming that the outer sheet 14 has approximately the same lateral width as the absorbent member 12, and the protruding leg sections 60 are formed without using the outer sheet 14, but using side sheets that are members separate from the outer sheet 14 and which extend outwardly in the lateral direction with respect to the outer sheet 14, the seams between the outer sheet 14 and the side sheets will be exposed on the skin-side surface near the leg opening portions 60a. In addition, assuming that the leg opening portions 60a are formed not by folding the two side portions of the outer sheet 14 to overlap, but by attaching the side sheets, which are members separate from the outer sheet 14, on the surface of the outer sheet 14 on the side facing the skin, the seams between the outer sheet 14 and the side sheets will be open from those ends of the leg opening portions 60a that are laterally outer. With this configuration, discharge will seep out from the seams between the sheets.

In contrast, in the disposable diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the protruding portions 60 covering the legs are formed by using an outer sheet 14 that is laterally continuous and also extends outwardly laterally from the absorbent side. 12, not facing the skin. In addition, a plurality of side welded regions 62 having a predetermined length (L1 in FIG. 6) in the lateral direction are disposed in each of the leg opening portions 60a (in

- 9 037713 portions in which each of the projecting sections forms a leg portion in accordance with the present disclosure). It should be noted that the location on the non-skin side of the absorbent member 12 refers to the location on the non-skin side defined in the thickness direction relative to the absorbent member 12, as well as to the location overlapping the absorbent member 12 in the lateral direction.

Thus, in the diaper 1, the lateral stiffness of the leg opening portions 60a is increased by the side welded regions 62, and the leg opening portions 60a are less likely to be affected by the tightening of the leg portions 20, 30 around the waist. and overlapping portions 60b in the lateral direction. As a result, pulling or twisting of the leg opening portions 60a in the lateral direction is suppressed, so that the state of the leg opening portions 60a in which they have a certain width in the lateral direction (states of large width) is likely to remain. This allows the leg opening portions 60a to fit snugly around the wearer's legs by a surface having a large width, whereby leakage of secretions around the wearer's legs is suppressed.

In addition, since in the natural diaper 1 (Fig. 1), the leg opening portions 60a extend laterally substantially horizontally, the leg opening portions 60a fit snugly around the wearer's legs due to contact over the surface simply by passing the wearer's legs through the leg openings LH in the diaper 1. This makes it unnecessary, for example, to pull out the portions 60a that form the leg openings and which have been curled inwardly using the fingers, whereby it is possible comfortable wearing of the diaper 1 properly. In addition, the state of large width of the leg opening portions 60a is more likely to be maintained even when the diaper 1 is worn, so that the leg opening portions 60a fit snugly around the wearer's legs due to surface contact even when subjected to squeezing. force acting from the wearer's legs. In addition, since the leg opening portions 60a having a large width fit snugly against the wearer, it is possible to cover the wearer's buttocks. Thus, there is no need to provide, for example, a cover or the like for covering the buttocks other than the waist sections 20, 30, which makes it possible to obtain a simple configuration of the diaper 1. Moreover, in the diaper 1, the rigidity of the leg openings 60a is is increased by placing the side welded zones 62 in the leg openings 60a. This makes it easier to manufacture the diapers 1 compared to the case in which the rigidity of the leg opening portions 60a is increased by appropriately providing, for example, separate elements on the leg opening portions 60a. In addition, when the protruding sections 60 enclosing the legs are formed by using the outer sheet 14, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the seams between the sheets are exposed on the non-skin side surface in and near the leg opening portions 60a. ... In addition, in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the side welded regions 62 are located in the leg opening portions 60a, and the side portions of the outer sheet 14 are folded to overlap. Accordingly, the seams between the sheets are not open on the side of those ends 60d of the leg opening portions 60a that are laterally outer. Thus, in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, leakage outwardly from the seams between the sheets is prevented, whereby leakage around the legs is further suppressed.

It should be noted that, as illustrated in FIG. 7, side welded regions 62 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are formed such that spot welded portions 69 (e.g., welded portions each formed by a protrusion in a protrusion pattern formed on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roll) are formed when placing them in a certain order in the lateral direction. Specifically, each of the pairs of rows having three dots from the welded portions 69 and obliquely disposed with respect to the lateral direction are arranged in rows in the vertical direction without being aligned with each other in the lateral direction. Likewise, the vertical welded regions 66 are also formed such that pairs of rows, each of which has a plurality of spot welded portions 69 along the vertical direction, are disposed laterally without being vertically aligned with each other. As such, the welded regions 62, 66 can be obtained by partial welding, in which case the lateral rigidity of the leg opening portions 60a also increases. It should be noted that this is not limiting, and, for example, one flat-shaped protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roll may be formed with the same shape as the welded regions 62, 66 so that the welded regions 62 .66 will be welded along their entire length. However, when the welded portions 69 are formed to be small in size as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a possibility that the pressure applied during the weld is constant, thereby ensuring stable weld.

- 10 037713

The predetermined length of the side welded zones 62 in the lateral direction can be any value as long as it is greater than 0 mm, however, the welded zones 62 are preferably elongated to some extent. For example, in cases in which the lateral width of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is 40 mm, the lateral length of the side welded regions 62 is preferably in the range of 7.5 mm to 27.5 mm, and more preferably about 17 , 5 mm.

In addition, the predetermined length of the side welded zones 62 in the lateral direction (for example, L1 in FIG. 6) means the length in the lateral direction from one end to the other end of the side welded zones 62 in the lateral direction. Accordingly, the shape of the side welded regions 62 may be a shape that extends parallel to the lateral direction (not illustrated), and may also be a shape inclined with respect to the lateral direction, as in an embodiment of the present disclosure. However, when, for example, the axial direction of the embossing roll corresponds to the lateral direction of the side welded regions 62 and the side welded regions 62 are parallel to the lateral direction, the side welded regions 62 form all at once. In contrast, when the side welded areas 62 are inclined with respect to the lateral direction, each of the side welded areas 62 is formed by sequentially applying pressure while rotating the embossing roller, whereby a stable seal is obtained.

In addition, the shape of the side welded regions 62 is not limited to linear shapes in which the spot welded portions 69 are arranged in a specific order in the lateral direction, as in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The side welded regions 62 may be formed, for example, with a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, an elliptical shape, a barrel shape, or the like that are laterally elongated. In addition, the side welded portions 62 are not limited to the point welded portions 69, and the side welded portions 62 may be formed so that the welded portions 69 with a different shape such as a square shape, a triangular shape, or the like are arranged in a specific order in lateral direction. In addition, a plurality of side welded portions 62 may be arranged in a specific order in the lateral direction in each of the leg opening portions 60a. The number of side welded zones 62 in each of the leg opening portions 60a can be any number, provided that it is one or more. In a diaper 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of side welded regions 62 are also located in the overlapping portions 60b of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60. Thus, the lateral rigidity of the overlapping portions 60b is high, and the lateral contraction of the overlapping portions 60b is suppressed. That is, it is less likely that the lateral pulling force from the waist sections 20, 30 will be transmitted to the leg opening portions 60a by the overlapping portions 60b. Accordingly, the likelihood of maintaining a large width state of the leg opening portions 60a is further increased, and the leg opening portions 60a can fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, so that leakage around the legs is more reliably suppressed.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of side welded zones 62 are disposed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction along the entire length of the protruding leg-enclosing sections 60a in the longitudinal direction, thereby facilitating the adjustment of the spacing in the formation of the side welded zones 62. Accordingly, the manufacture of the diaper 1 is facilitated.

However, an embodiment may be such that the side welded regions 62 may not be formed in the overlapping portions 60b. An embodiment may also be such that the side welded zones 62 are located in only one of the two overlapping portions 60b of each of the leg-enclosing projecting sections 60, with no side welded zones 62 located in the other overlapping portions 60b. Since in such cases the number of side welded regions 62, which are relatively hard, is reduced, the stress on the skin can be reduced, which makes the diaper 1 more comfortable to wear. In addition, the projecting leg sections 60 need not have two overlapping portions 60b. That is, an embodiment may be such that each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 overlaps only one of the front waist section 20 and the rear waist section 30, or the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 do not overlap either them.

In addition, in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the leakage-preventing wall sections 50 are also formed by using the outer sheet 14. In such a case, there is no seam in the sheet at each boundary between the leakage-preventing wall section 50 and the protruding a section 60 enclosing the leg, whereby it is possible to further suppress leakage around the legs. For example, it is possible to prevent leakage blocked by the leakage wall sections 50 outward from the area of each boundary between the leakage wall section 50 and the protruding leg section 60, and this leak could cause soiling of the feet.

- 11 037713 media. The outer sheet 14 also extends laterally outward from a location on the non-skin side of the absorbent member 12. That is, two protruding leg sections 60 are formed using a common outer sheet 14. Accordingly, there is no seam in the outer sheet 14 exposed on the surface on the side of the absorbent body 10 that is not facing the skin. , whereby leakage from the seam in the sheet is suppressed. In addition, the two leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 rise together as one piece when the diaper 1 is worn. Accordingly, the two leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 can fit snugly around the wearer's legs in a balanced manner, thereby suppressing leakage around the legs. In addition, in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, two leakage preventing wall sections 50 are also formed using a common outer sheet 14. As such, the amount of materials can also be reduced by forming a protruding section 60 that encloses the leg and the leakage preventing wall section 50 on one side in the lateral direction by using one outer sheet 14 or by appropriately forming two protruding leg-enclosing sections 60 and two leakage preventing wall sections 50 on two sides by using one outer sheet 14 as described above. Thus, cost reduction can be achieved. However, this is not a limitation. For example, the wall section 50 preventing leakage and the protruding section 60 enclosing the leg may be formed respectively using separate sheets, each of the two protruding sections 60 enclosing the legs may be formed by using separate outer sheets 14, or the protruding section 60 covering the leg can be formed by using a liquid-impermeable backsheet 13. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in the leg opening portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b in the protruding leg sections 60, portions of the outer sheet 14 in which the first side welded regions 63 are located (i.e., the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b) and portions of the outer sheet 14 in which the second side welded regions 64 are located (i.e., the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d) are superimposed in the thickness direction in the protruding sections 60 surrounding the legs. Accordingly, the lateral rigidity of the leg opening forming portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b is further increased. The outer sheet 14 is folded so that it forms four layers to superimpose the first side welded areas 63 and the second side welded areas 64 on top of each other. As such, the lateral rigidity of the leg opening portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b also increases with an increase in the number of layers formed from and superimposed on the outer sheet 14. Accordingly, the likelihood that the tightening of the waist sections 20, 30 will affect the overlapping portions 60b is further reduced, and the state of the large width of the leg opening portions 60a is more likely to be maintained. This can ensure that the leg opening portions 60a fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact and reliably suppress leakage around the legs. In other words, with the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 superimposed on each other, the rigidity of the leg hole forming portions 60a and the rigidity of the overlapping portions 60b can be ensured even when the rigidity decreases as the strength of the welded joint decreases in each side welded area 62. Accordingly, the side welded areas 62 can be made comparatively softer, which makes the diaper 1 more comfortable to wear. In addition, it is possible to prevent the side welded areas 62 from becoming too thin or becoming holes as a result of attempts to increase the strength of the weld to increase the rigidity of the side welded areas 62. However, this is not a limitation. The plurality of side welded regions 62 may be non-superimposed in the thickness direction in the leg hole forming portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b. In such a case, it is sufficient that the outer sheet 14 is folded to form two layers, and the two layers are welded to form the side welded zones 62. Alternatively, three or more of the side welded zones 62 may be superimposed on each other in the thickness direction. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the side welded regions 62 are located inwardly with respect to those ends 60d of the leg enclosing protruding sections 60 that are laterally outer in the leg opening portions 60a. That is, the side welded regions 62 are absent in the lateral outer side end portions in the leg opening portions 60a, so that these end portions are soft and thus comfortable for the wearer's leg skin in contact with the end portions. which makes the diaper 1 more comfortable to wear. In addition, the compressive force from the wearer's legs is absorbed. Thus, even when wearing the diaper 1, there is a possibility that the leg opening portions 60a remain large in width, so that the leg opening portions 60a fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in the absorbent body 10, the backsheet 13 is positioned between the absorbent body 12, which is wrapped in the topsheet 11, and the outer foil

- 12 037713 volume 14 as well as between the folded portions of the outer sheet 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the ends 13a of the backsheet 13 external in the lateral direction are also located inwardly with respect to those ends 60d of the respective leg enclosing sections 60 that are external in the lateral direction. Accordingly, the backsheet 13 is absent at the end portions on the lateral outward side of the leg openings forming portions 60a, so that these end portions are soft and therefore comfortable for the skin of the wearer's legs in contact with the end portions, which makes diaper 1 is more comfortable to wear. In addition, the compressive force from the wearer's legs is absorbed, and therefore the leg opening portions 60a are kept in a wide state.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in each of the leg opening portions 60a, four leg elastic members 61a to 61d are disposed side by side in the lateral direction. Two leg elastic members 61b, 61c located in the center intersect with the side welded regions 62 located in the leg opening portions 60a. The portions in which the side welded regions 62 are located in the leg hole forming portions 60a have a high rigidity and are therefore likely to be kept flat. The portions in which the side welded regions 62 are located in the leg opening portions 60a are raised integrally towards the wearer side due to the retraction of the leg elastic members 61b, 61c. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 7, such portions in which the side welded regions 62 are located in the leg opening portions 60a can fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed.

An elastic member 61a that encloses a leg of four elastic members 61a-61d enclosing a leg, which is located on the side innermost in the lateral direction, is located at a position located in the lateral direction between the absorbent member 12 and the side welded regions 62. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the portions located laterally outside with respect to the leg elastic members 61a are lifted toward the wearer's side due to the retraction of the leg elastic members 61a, whereby a certain standing height is provided. This can allow the leg opening portions 60a to fit snugly around the wearer's legs.

An elastic member 61d that encloses a leg of four elastic members 61a to 61d enclosing a leg, which is located on the side outermost in the lateral direction, is located at the location of the end 60d of each of the leg opening portions 60a, which is outer in the lateral direction. direction. Accordingly, the leg opening portions 60a are adapted to fit securely to the wearer up to the location of the lateral outward ends 60d by retraction of the leg elastic members 61d. In particular, even in the case in which the side welded regions 62 do not reach the laterally outer ends 60d in the leg opening portions 60a, the leg opening portions 60a may fit snugly against the wearer up to the location laterally outer ends 60d.

Each of the overlapping portions 60b in the protruding leg sections 60 includes an unconnected region 41 (areas 41 surrounded by bold lines in FIG. 5), in which the overlapping portion 60b and the waist section 20, 30 are not joined together, in a place corresponding to the vertical end of the lower part of the waist section 20, 30. The side welded area 62a is located in the unconnected area 41. Pulling the sections 20, 30 around the waist circumference in the lateral direction will affect the unconnected areas 41 in the overlapping portions 60b less likely than the adhesive areas 40 in which the overlapping portions 60b are connected to the waist sections 20, 30 (areas with diagonal hatching in FIG. 5). Accordingly, when the unconnected region 41 is provided in each border portion between the overlapping portion 60b and the leg opening portion 60a, there is a possibility that the border portion remains in a wide state. In addition, by positioning the side welded regions 62a in the boundary portion (in the unconnected regions 41), the boundary portion is more likely to remain in a wide state. As a result, the leg opening portion 60a is also likely to be kept in a wide state. In other words, the lateral pulling force from the waist sections 20, 30 is blocked by the side welded regions 62 in the unconnected regions 41, so that the lateral pulling force is unlikely to be transmitted to the leg opening portions 60a. Therefore, there is a possibility of keeping the leg opening portions 60a in a wide state. Thus, the leg opening portions 60a can fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed. In the diaper 1, in addition to the adhesive areas 40 described above, there are also bonded areas 42, 43, 44 illustrated in FIGS. 3 in which the adhesive is applied. In particular, the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14, forming the leakage preventing wall sections 50, are joined at the connected regions 42. The wicking surface

13 037713 of the absorbent body 12 wrapped in a topsheet 11 which is located on the non-skin side and the backsheet 13 are also bonded in the bonded area 43 (hereinafter also referred to as bonded portion 43 of the absorbent member). The backsheet 13 and the outer sheet 14 are also bonded in the bonded area 44 (hereinafter also referred to as the bonded portion 44 of the backsheet). Meanwhile, in those portions 60c of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 that are laterally outward and illustrated in FIG. 3, (more specifically, in portions 60c located further outwardly in the lateral direction with respect to the side bonded portions 53, in the leakage preventing wall sections 50), the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14 are not bonded together by adhesive on their entire length in the longitudinal direction. Likewise, the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d of the outer sheet 14 are not bonded together by an adhesive along their entire length in the longitudinal direction. That is, the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14 are not bonded together at portions each located between the first side welded regions 63 along the longitudinal direction (e.g., portions 65 in FIG. 5) so that each of the gaps is created between them, resulting in a high springback capability. Likewise, the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d of the outer sheet 14 are not bonded together at portions each located between the second side welded regions 64 along the longitudinal direction such that each of the gaps are created therebetween, resulting in ensuring high springback ability. Accordingly, by increasing the springability of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 as such, the diaper 1 becomes more comfortable to wear. In addition, since in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 are superimposed on each other in the thickness direction, the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b having high springability are additionally superimposed into a third sheet portion 14c and a fourth sheet portion 14d having high springability. Accordingly, the springability of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is further increased. The first vertical welded regions 67 and the second vertical welded regions 68 are also formed in the raised sections 60 that enclose the legs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, even though the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b are not bonded together between the first side welded regions 63, the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14a are firmly and tightly bonded together through the first vertical welded regions 67. Similarly Thus, the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d are also firmly and tightly joined together by the second vertical welded regions 68. Therefore, the separation of the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b from each other is unlikely, and the separation of the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth the sheet portion 14d from each other, for example, even when the sheet portions are sandwiched between the legs of the wearer. Accordingly, the leg opening portions 60a are kept in a wide state. However, the first vertical welded regions 67 and the second vertical welded regions 68 may not be formed. The side welded regions 62 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are inclined with respect to the lateral direction. Accordingly, the length of the unconnected portions between the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b, determined in the vertical direction when the side regions 62 are inclined, is less than the length of the unconnected portions in the vertical direction, for example, when the side regions 62 are parallel to the side direction. In addition, the length of the unconnected portions between the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d, determined in the vertical direction when the side regions 62 are inclined, is also shorter than the length in the vertical direction when the side regions 62 are parallel to the side direction. Thus, the separation of the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b is unlikely, and the separation of the third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d is unlikely, so that the leg opening portions 60a are kept in a wide state. In the overlapping portions 60b, in those portions 60c of the protruding leg sections 60 that are laterally outer, the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14 and the back sheet 13 and the back sheet 13 and the third sheet portion 14c of the outer sheet 14 may not be joined together. through an adhesive. In particular, since the rear sheet 13 and the third sheet portion 14c are not bonded together, the end portions that are not bonded in the stretched state of the leg elastic members 61 may contract. This can prevent the situation in which the leg elastic members 61 are exposed on the side of those two portions of the leg-covering protruding sections 60 that end in the longitudinal direction. The third sheet portion 14c and the fourth sheet portion 14d of the outer sheet 14 are attached to the waist sections 20, 30 by adhesive zones 40 and side welded zones 62. However, the first sheet portion 14a and the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14 are spaced apart from the sections 20, 30 around the waist and are therefore unlikely to be affected by the lateral contraction of the sections 20, 30 around the waist. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the leg opening portions 60a are kept in a wide state. Even without the connection above

14 037713 sled portions together, a situation can be prevented in which the end portions at the longitudinally defined two ends of the projecting sections 60 enclosing the legs are exposed, since the side welded regions 62 are located in the overlapping portions 60b.

In those portions 60c of the leg opening portions 60a that are laterally outer in the protruding leg sections 60, the second sheet portion 14b of the outer sheet 14 and the back sheet 13 and the back sheet 13 and the third sheet portion 14c of the outer sheet 14 preferably bonded together with an adhesive. With this configuration, the four layers 14a-14d formed by the outer sheet 14 are prevented from separating from each other when they are squeezed between the legs of the wearer. Thus, the leg opening portions 60a are kept in a wide state. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a plurality of waist elastic members 22, 32 are vertically spaced in waist sections 20, 30, and a plurality of side welded regions 62 are vertically spaced in overlapping portions 60b. The vertical spacing L3 between the plurality of elastic members 22, 32 around the waist is less than the vertical spacing L2 between the plurality of side welded regions 62 located in the overlapping portions 60b (L2> L3). Accordingly, the number of elastic members 22, 32 around the waist circumference is not too small, which can ensure that the waist sections 20, 30 fit to the wearer. That is, it is possible to ensure that the waist sections 20, 30 are adhered to the wearer while suppressing the lateral contraction of the overlapping portions 60b and leakage around the legs due to the side welded areas 62. In addition, the number of the side welded areas 62 located in the overlapping portions 60b is not is too large to prevent an increase in skin stress caused by the relatively hard side welded regions 62. In addition, the overlapping portions 60b from the side welded regions 60b can be prevented from detaching from the side welded regions 60b due to the fact that the spacing between the side welded regions 62 is too small.

However, the configuration is not limited to the above. The vertical spacing L2 between the side welded regions 62 located in the overlapping portions 60b may be equal to the vertical spacing L3 or less than the vertical spacing L3 between the elastic members 22, 32 around the waist. In such a case, the number of side welded regions 62 increases, so that the lateral contraction of the overlapping portions 60b is suppressed more reliably. The above comparison can be made by using the spacing between the waist elastic members 22, 32 located at the same vertical position as the overlapping portions 60b, or using the spacing between the waist elastic members 22, 32 located above the overlapping portions. parts 60b. In cases where the spacing between the side welded regions 62 and the spacing between the elastic members 22, 32 around the waist circumference are not constant, the spacing between them can be any spacing provided that at least one of the spacing between the elastic members 22 , 32 at the waist circumference will be less than at least one of the spacing between the side welded areas 62. The side welded areas 62 located in the overlapping portions 60b are preferably not overlaid on the elastic members around the waist circumference 22, 32 in the thickness direction in the view in plan of the projecting sections 60, covering the legs (Fig. 6). That is, the side welded regions 62 are preferably vertically offset from the elastic members 22, 32 around the waist. This can prevent the side welded regions 62 from excessively suppressing the contraction in those portions of the waist elastic members 22, 32 that overlap with the overlapping portions 60b, so that such waist elastic portions 22, 32 contract properly. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively use the elastic members 22, 32 around the waist and to ensure that the waist sections 20, 30 fit the wearer. However, this is not a limitation. The locations of some or all of the plurality of side welded zones 62 in the vertical direction may coincide with the locations of the elastic members 22, 32 around the waist circumference in the vertical direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, waist elastic members 22a, 32a located above the absorbent member 12 in the vertical direction extend continuously from one side portion to the other side portion in the lateral direction of the waist section 20, 30. In contrast, each of the elastic members 22b, 32b along the waist circumference, located at the same location in the vertical direction as the absorbent member 12, includes a portion extending from one side portion defined in the lateral direction of the waist section 20, 30 to one side portion defined in the lateral direction of the absorbent member 12, and a portion extending from the other side portion defined in the lateral direction of the absorbent member 12 to the other side portion defined in the lateral direction of the waist section 20, 30. That is, each of the elastic members 22b, 32b along the waist circumference includes a discontinuous portion at the location superimposed on the absorbent member 12 in the section thickness direction 20 around the waist, 30 (for example, from point a to point b in FIG. 6).

Thus, it is unlikely that the effect of the tightening of the elastic elements 22, 32 around the circumference of the

- 15,037713 lines laterally onto the absorbent body 12, whereby it is possible to suppress the curling of the absorbent body 12. This allows the absorbent body 12 to fit snugly against the wearer so that the discharge is properly absorbed by the absorbent body 12, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed. Since curling of the absorbent member 12 is suppressed, the leg opening portions 60a can extend substantially horizontally in the lateral direction. This can ensure that the leg opening portions 60a fit snugly around the wearer's legs by surface contact, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed.

Modified examples

FIG. 9A-C are schematic views for explaining modified examples of side welded regions 62. The schematic views on the left side of FIG. 9A-C illustrate the state in which the first side welded areas 63 and the second side welded areas 64 were formed in the outer sheet 14 during the manufacture of the diaper 1. The schematic views on the right side illustrate the relationship between the first side welded areas 63 and the second side welded areas 64. in the projecting sections 60, covering the legs.

In the embodiment described above, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 are formed symmetrically about the fold f2 of the outer sheet 14, as illustrated in FIG. 4, that is, the directions of their inclination are symmetrical to each other and the vertical positions correspond to each other. Accordingly, in each of the leg hole forming portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b, the first side sealed regions 63 and the second side sealed regions 64 are arranged to overlap each other in the thickness direction. However, this is not a limitation. Some or all of the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 may not overlap in the thickness direction in the plan view. That is, in each of the leg opening portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b, the locations of the first lateral welded regions 63 in the plane (lateral and vertical positions) may be offset from the locations of the second lateral welded regions 64 in the plane. For example, as illustrated on the left side in FIG. 9A, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 may be formed such that their directions of inclination are symmetrical with respect to the fold f2 and their positions in the vertical direction differ from each other. In such a case, as illustrated on the right side in FIG. 9A, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64, which slope in the same direction, will alternate vertically in a plan view of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60.

For example, as illustrated on the left side in FIG. 9B, the first side sealed regions 63 and the second side sealed regions 64 may be formed such that their directions of inclination are the same with respect to the fold f2 and their vertical positions differ from each other. In such a case, as illustrated on the right side in FIG. 9B, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64, which are inclined in opposite directions to each other, will be alternately arranged in the vertical direction in a plan view of the protruding sections 60 enclosing the legs.

For example, as illustrated on the left side in FIG. 9C, the first side sealed regions 63 and the second side sealed regions 64 may be formed such that their directions of inclination are the same with respect to the fold f2 and their positions in the vertical direction are the same. In such a case, as illustrated on the right side in FIG. 9C, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64, which are inclined in directions opposite to each other, will be positioned so that they intersect with each other in a plan view of the protruding sections 60 enclosing the legs.

As illustrated in FIG. 9A and 9B, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 may be completely offset from each other, or alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, a portion of each first side sealed area 63 and a portion of each second side sealed area 64 may overlap, while the remaining portions thereof may be offset from each other. Accordingly, since the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 are offset from each other in the thickness direction in the plan view, the side welded regions 62 are present in an area wider in the plane in the leg opening portions 60a and overlapping portions 60b, thereby increasing the lateral rigidity of the leg opening portions 60a and the overlapping portions 60b. Therefore, the lateral tightening of the waist sections 20, 30 is less likely to affect the overlapping portions 60b, so that the leg opening portions 60a are likely to be kept in a wide state, whereby leakage around the legs is suppressed.

As illustrated in FIG. 9A and 9B, in the case in which the first side welded zones 63 and the second side welded zones 64 are completely offset from each other, the side welded zones 62 are formed, for example, by successive application of pressure during the rotation of the embossing roller

- 16 037713 when welding is performed. This results in a stable weld. In addition, although not illustrated, some of the plurality of first side welded regions 63 may be overlapped on the second side welded regions 64, and the remaining first side welded regions 63 may not be overlapped on the second side welded regions 64. In addition, , the size and shape of the first side welded zones 63 in the plan view may also differ from the size and shape of the second side welded zones 64, and the first side welded zones 63 and / or the second side welded zones 64 may differ in size and shape in the plan view. ... In addition, the first side welded regions 63 and the second side welded regions 64 may also differ in their arrangement in the overlapping portions 60b and in the leg opening portions 60a. In addition, the number of first side welded regions 63 may be different from the number of second side welded regions 64. For example, more second side welded regions 64 are provided on the non-skin side than the number of first side welded regions 63 on the side facing to the skin, whereby it is possible to increase the comfort for the skin while increasing the lateral rigidity of the protruding sections 60 that enclose the legs.

A method of manufacturing an absorbent body 10

Next, a description will be given of a specific method for manufacturing an absorbent body 10 including two wall sections 50 to prevent leakage and two protruding sections 60 around the legs. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing sequence of an absorbent body 10. A diaper 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is manufactured continuously on a production line by performing processes S101-S105 illustrated in FIG. 10. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, processes S101 to S105 are performed while transporting the base sheet of the absorbent body 10 at a predetermined conveying speed along a predetermined conveying direction. The base sheet of the absorbent body 10 means an outer continuous sheet 141 configured such that a plurality of outer sheets 14 extend in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) in FIG. 2, and the direction in which this outer continuous sheet 141 is conveyed along the longitudinal direction is the conveyance direction. In the description below, the direction along the conveying direction (i.e., the longitudinal direction of the outer sheet 14) is referred to as the MD direction (corresponding to the vertical direction), and the direction orthogonal to the MD direction is referred to as the CD direction (corresponding to the lateral direction).

First, a placement process of the elastic members LSG is carried out to accommodate the elastic members LSG 51 of the wall leakage preventing sections 50, as described above, on the base sheet (outer sheet 14), which is transported along the MD direction (S101). FIG. 11 is a plan view and sectional view for explaining the placement of LSG elastic members. The outer sheet 14 in the unfolded state is illustrated in FIG. 11. For ease of description, FIG. 11 illustrates the state of the above-described outer sheets 14 obtained by cutting the outer continuous sheet 141 into single pieces (diapers 1). The same is true for FIG. 12-16, which will be described below. As illustrated in FIG. 11, in the process (S101) of placing the elastic members LSG, the elastic members LSG 51 in a state in which they are stretched in the MD direction (vertical direction) are placed along the MD direction at predetermined points f1 (the fold points f1 described above) on both sides in the CD direction (lateral direction) of the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141). An adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive (HMA) or the like is applied to the surface of the LSG 51 elastic members, and the LSG 51 elastic members are attached to the outer sheet 14 by means of an adhesive. Accordingly, extensibility in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) appears in the portions in which the elastic members LSG 51 are attached at predetermined locations f1 on the outer sheet 14. This can cause the leakage preventing wall sections 50 to rise towards the skin side of the wearer when the diaper 1 will be formed with a pant shape. In addition, in the process S101, the adhesive portions of the LSG 55 are also formed by feeding (applying) an adhesive (eg, an HMA hot melt adhesive) along the MD direction, as illustrated in FIG. 11 in respective areas located inwardly in the CD direction (lateral direction) with respect to the predetermined locations f1. The adhesive portions of the LSG 55 are adhesive portions for joining portions of the folded outer sheet 14 together in the thickness direction when the outer sheet 14 is folded onto itself at predetermined locations f1 in the following process (S102). LSG 55 adhesive parts can be formed prior to placement of LSG 51 elastic elements.

(S102)

Further, the process (S102) of forming the welded zones is carried out such that the two portions of the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141) end in the CD direction (lateral direction) in the unfolded state are folded on them from the outside to the inside, and the side welded zones 62 and vertical welded regions 66 are formed in portions in which the outer sheet 14 is applied to itself in the thickness direction by folding. FIG. 12 is a plan view and sectional view for clarification

- 17 037713 of the process of forming welded zones. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of area A in FIG. 12 and is a schematic diagram for explaining the side welded areas 62 and the vertical welded areas 66.

In the process (S102) of forming the welded zones, first, the two end portions of the outer sheet 14 are folded on them from outside to inside in the CD direction (lateral direction) at predetermined locations f1, in which the elastic members LSG 51 (elastic members LSG) are arranged and which serve as fold places. That is, the outer sheet 14 is folded onto itself in the thickness direction at points f1 at which the elastic members LSG 51 are provided and which serve as folding bases for clamping the elastic members LSG 51 and are bonded to the adhesive portions of the LSG 55. Such bonded portions are parts that can be lifted as the leakage-preventing wall sections 50 when wearing the diaper 1. The strength of the leakage-preventing wall sections 50 is ensured by the joined together portions of the folded and superposed outermost sheet 14, so that there is a possibility of preventing lowering or crushing / flattening the wall sections 50 to prevent leakage. It should be noted that when folding the outer sheet 14, a folding mechanism (sealing device) is used that is configured to fold the outer continuous sheet 141 in the CD direction while being transported along the MD direction. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the adhesive is unlikely to stick to the sealing device because the adhesive portions of the LSG 55 are formed inwardly in the CD direction (lateral direction) with respect to the predetermined locations f1. This reduces the need for stopping the production line to clean the closing device or perform maintenance or the like, whereby the diapers 1 can be efficiently produced. Thereafter, the side welded areas 62 and the vertical welded areas 66 are formed by partial welding of the areas located inside in the lateral direction in relation to the areas that have been bonded using the LSG 55 adhesive portions, in the portions in which the outer sheet 14 has been folded and applied to itself. The portions in which the welded zones 62, 66 are formed correspond to the portions that extend laterally around the circumference of the wearer's legs, functioning as protruding leg sections 60 when the diaper 1 is worn. When the welded zones 62, 66 are formed so that they have predetermined lengths in the lateral and vertical directions, it is possible to increase the lateral and vertical rigidity of the protruding sections 60 that enclose the legs, which are formed using the outer sheet 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, welded zones 62, 66 are formed in an outer sheet 14 folded in two layers in the thickness direction such that a plurality of first side welded zones 63 will be formed in rows at intervals in the longitudinal direction in of each part on the side outer in the lateral direction and the plurality of second side welded zones 64 will be formed in rows at intervals in the longitudinal direction in each part on the side inner in the lateral direction with respect to the first side welded zones 63 with respect to the predetermined place f2 (above-described place f2 fold). That is, the first side welded areas 63 and the second side welded areas 64 are discontinuous with respect to each other in the lateral direction, and the first side welded areas 63 and the second side welded areas 64 are formed so that they do not overlap the predetermined fold location f2 in the lateral direction. direction. This can suppress the increase in stiffness of the predetermined locations f2, whereby the outer member 14 is allowed to bend tightly thereon at each predetermined location f2 in the process (S105) of forming the protruding sections, which will be described later. In addition, the first vertical welded zones 67 are formed laterally on the outside with respect to the first side welded regions 63, and the second vertical welded regions 68 are formed laterally inwardly with respect to the second side welded regions 64. It should be noted that the side welded regions 62 and vertical welded zones 6 6 are formed so that they do not overlap the ends 14e defining the edges of the outer sheet 14 in the lateral direction (see FIG. 12). This suppresses the increase in rigidity of these edge portions (14e) and a situation in which the sheet member becomes hard, whereby deterioration of texture is prevented even in cases in which the edge portions are pressed against the skin of the wearer while wearing the diaper 1.

The side welded zones 62 (63, 64) are formed such that a plurality of spot welded portions 69 will be formed when they are arranged in a certain order in the lateral direction. Specifically, each of the pairs of rows having three points of welded portions 69 and obliquely disposed with respect to the lateral direction will be arranged in rows in the vertical direction without being aligned with each other in the lateral direction. Likewise, the vertical welded zones 66 (67, 68) are also formed such that pairs of rows, each of which has a plurality of spot weld portions 69 along the vertical direction, will be laterally disposed without being vertically aligned with each other. Each of the welded portions 69 is formed, for example, by a welding means such as ultrasonic welding or the like, by using an embossing roller having an axis of rotation disposed along

- 18 037713 of the CD board, and the use of one protrusion in the relief with the protrusions provided on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roller. However, the welded portions 69 can also be formed using other welding means such as heat sealing, laser welding, or the like. Accordingly, such welded areas 62, 66 can be obtained by partial welds using spot welded portions 69, whereby it is possible to reduce the area of each welded portion 69. This allows the concentration and repetitive action of ultrasonic vibrations or the like on individual points when using a relief with protrusions during welding, whereby it is possible to perform stable welding. However, the shapes of the welded areas 62, 66 are not limited to this, and for example, a flat shape of one protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roll can be formed the same as the shape of the welded areas 62, 66, so that the welded areas 62, 66 will be welded along their entire length. That is, the welded areas 62, 66 may be formed with linear shapes, in which areas surrounded by dashed lines in FIG. 13 will be welded along their entire length. In addition, the predetermined lateral length of the side welded regions 62 means the lateral length from one end to the other end of the side welded regions 62 in the lateral direction and is denoted by L62 in FIG. 13. Provided that the side welded areas 62 have a predetermined length (L62) in the lateral direction (CD direction), the shape of the side welded areas 62 may be such that they run parallel to the lateral direction (not illustrated), and may also be a shape inclined with respect to the lateral direction, as in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

However, in the case where the embossing roll pattern is formed parallel to the CD direction and the side welded areas 62 are formed parallel to the CD direction, the side welded areas 62 extending along the CD direction (lateral direction) are formed at the same time and at the same the time the row in the raised pattern contacts the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141) as the embossing roller rotates. In such cases, it is difficult to ensure that the same pressure is applied in all zones in the lateral direction and therefore the strength of the welded joint may not be the same in the lateral direction of the side welded zones 62. In addition, there is a possibility of wear of the relief with the protrusions due to the application of large pressure immediately to the row in the relief with the protrusions ... In contrast, when the side welded areas 62 are inclined with respect to the lateral direction (CD direction), the side welded areas 62 are formed by successive displacement of the pressure point in combination with the rotation of the embossing roller, so that the occurrence of localized weld defects or the like is reduced. and the likelihood of unequal strength of the welded joint is reduced. In addition, since the place where the pressure is applied is successively shifted, the possibility of abrasion of the protrusions provided on the outer circumferential surface of the embossing roller is reduced, whereby efficient production is made possible.

The predetermined length of the side welded zones 62 in the lateral direction can be any value as long as it is greater than 0 mm, however, the welded zones 62 are preferably elongated to some extent. For example, in cases in which the lateral width of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is 40 mm, the lateral length of the lateral welded regions 62 is preferably in the range of 7.5 to 27.5 mm, and more preferably about 17. 5 mm.

(S103)

Then, an elastic placement process (S103) is carried out in which the leg elastic members 61 are placed in a predetermined area of the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141). FIG. 14 is a plan and sectional view for explaining the placement of elastic members. First, an adhesive designed to form the end joining portions 52 and the side joining portion 53 of the anti-leakage wall sections 50 is applied to the portions outside in the lateral direction (CD direction) with respect to the side welded areas 62 and the vertical welded areas 66 on the surface a two-layer outer sheet 14 located on the side facing the skin. In the embodiment of the present disclosure illustrated in FIG. 14, the side joining portions 53 are further outwardly laterally with respect to the first vertical welded region 67, which is defined as the outermost in the lateral direction. That is, the side joint portions 53 are formed so that they do not overlap at least the welded regions 62, 63 in the lateral direction. In this process, an adhesive for forming the bonding portion 44 of the backsheet for bonding the backsheet 13 in the following process (S104) can also be applied to the lateral central direction (CD direction) surface of the outer sheet 14 located on the side facing the skin (see Fig. 14). The order in which the joining parts 44, 52, 53 are formed can be freely selected. However, these joining portions are formed at locations on the skin-side surface of the outer sheet 14 that do not interfere with each other, and therefore the adhesive can be applied thereto at the same time. Simultaneous application of the adhesive can provide cost savings

- 19 037713 production while providing a more compact space occupied by the equipment of the production line.

After the joint portions 44, 52, 53 are formed, the plurality of leg elastic members 61, in a state in which they are stretched along the vertical direction (MD direction), are attached to the inner portions in the lateral direction (CD direction) with respect to the lateral jointed parts 53, on the surface of the outer sheet 14 located on the side facing the skin. It should be noted that the adhesive is applied to the leg elastic members 61 in advance within the area L61 illustrated in FIG. 14, whereby the outer sheet 14 is made extensible in the vertical direction (MD direction) within this region L61. Accordingly, vertical extensibility is manifested at least within the region L61 in the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60, whereby the fit of the leg enclosing protruding sections 60 around the wearer's legs is improved when the diaper 1 is worn.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, four elastic members 61a to 61d are provided covering the leg from the side inward in the lateral direction to the side outward in the lateral direction. Of these, leg elastic members 61b and 61c are positioned to overlap the side welded regions 64 (62) in the lateral direction. The leg elastic 61a, which is to be located furthest in the lateral direction, is positioned laterally between the absorbent member 12 and the side welded regions 62. The leg elastic 61d, which is to be located furthest outward in the lateral direction is placed at a predetermined location f2 in the lateral direction. The predetermined location f2 is the location corresponding to the end 60d of each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 that is laterally outward when the diaper 1 is formed into a panty shape.

In the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the leg elastic members 61 are placed in the S103 process after the side welded regions 62 are formed in the S102 process, whereby a tensile force acting in the vertical direction is made possible by the leg elastic members 61. , into the zones in which the side welded zones 62 (64) are formed in the protruding sections 60 that enclose the legs. If the side welded areas 62 are formed after the leg elastic 61 has been positioned, the leg elastic 61 may be cut by the pressure from the embossing roll or the like that would be applied to form the side welded areas 62, so that the possibility that the tensile force will no longer act in the protruding sections 60 surrounding the legs. In contrast, according to the manufacturing method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to form side welded regions 62 in the regions overlapping the leg elastic members 61 without adversely affecting the tensile force generated by the leg elastic members 61. The effect of positioning the leg elastic members 61 and the side welded regions 62 so that they overlap each other in the leg-covering protruding sections 60 will be described later.

(S104)

Next, an absorbent moving process (S104) is carried out in which the absorbent 12 (absorbent 12 wrapped in the topsheet 11) is attached to the skin-facing side of the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141). FIG. 15 is a plan and sectional view for explaining the movement of the absorbent member.

First, the backsheet 13 is attached to the skin-side surface of the outer sheet 14. The back sheet 13 is positioned to overlap the leg elastic members 61a to 61c in the lateral direction (CD direction). That is, the back sheet 13 is positioned to cover at least the area between the leg elastic 61c located on one side in the lateral direction and the leg elastic 61c located on the other side in the lateral direction, on the skin side defined in the thickness direction and the backsheet 13 is attached to the skin side surface of the outer sheet 14 by the bonding portion 44 of the backsheet and adhesive applied to the surface of the leg elastic members 61.

It should be noted that the backsheet 13 can also be placed additionally on the non-skin side with respect to the leg elastic members 61, taking into account the configuration of the absorbent body 10. However, in such cases, part of the leg elastic members 61 may be exposed on the side facing the skin, and therefore the adhesive applied to the surface of the leg elastic members 61 may adhere to the wearer's body or the like while wearing the diaper 1, which may cause discomfort to the wearer. In contrast, in the diaper 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the backsheet 13 in the process S104 is positioned to cover the skin-facing side of the leg elastic members 61a to 61c, whereby the situation in which the elastic

- 20 037713 the leg-enclosing elements 61 will be exposed on the side facing the skin, so that the likelihood of adhesion of the adhesive to the wearer's body when wearing the diaper 1 is reduced.

Thereafter, the absorbent member 12 is attached (moved) to the skin-side surface of the backsheet 13 by an absorbent-bonding portion 43, which is formed by an adhesive applied to the surface of the backsheet 13 on the skin side ...

(S105)

Next, a process (S105) for forming the leg enclosing protruding sections is carried out, in which the leg enclosing protruding sections 60 are formed by folding the two side end portions of the outer sheet 14 (outer continuous sheet 141) thereon themselves again from outside to inside. FIG. 16 is a plan view and sectional view for explaining the process of forming the protruding sections that enclose the legs. The section in FIG. 16 corresponds to FIG. 3.

In the process (S105) of forming the protruding sections covering the legs, the two end portions of the outer sheet 14 are folded on them from the outside inwardly in the lateral direction at predetermined locations f2 in which the leg elastic members 61d are placed and which serve as fold points. Thereafter, opposite surfaces of the outer sheet 14 folded in the thickness direction are joined together using end join portions 52 and side join portions 53. Accordingly, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 are formed to project outward in the lateral direction. As described above, since no side welded areas 62 or vertical welded areas 66 are formed at predetermined locations f2, the stiffness of the outer sheet 14 does not become too high at predetermined locations f2, whereby the outer sheet 14 can be tightly folded. forming protruding sections 60, covering the legs, with neat flat shapes. In this case, the outer sheet 14 is folded onto itself at predetermined locations f2 so that the first side welded areas 63 and the first vertical welded areas 67 are superimposed in the thickness direction over the second side welded areas 64 and the second vertical welded areas 68, whereby a state is created, in which the leg elastic members 61b and 61c are clamped between the welded regions. That is, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 are formed such that at least a portion of the plurality of leg-enclosing elastic members 61 overlap the side welded regions 62. In such a diaper in which the leg-enclosing protruding sections protrude laterally in a large to a degree, as in the diaper 1 (see FIG. 1), there was a tendency for the fit to deteriorate as the protruding sections enclosing the legs contract and / or curl laterally when the diaper was worn. In contrast, in a diaper 1 made by the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lateral rigidity of the leg enclosing protruding sections 60 is increased by providing a plurality of side welded regions 62. This can facilitate keeping the leg enclosing protruding sections 60 in a flat shape. ... That is, even in the case in which the pulling force provided by the leg-enclosing elastic members 61 acts, it is possible to suppress the contraction and twisting of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 in the lateral direction, so that there is a possibility that the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 remain in a state in which they have a certain width in the lateral direction (a state of large width). In addition, when there is a pulling force acting in the vertical direction while keeping the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 flat in shape, a plurality of folds along the lateral direction are formed on the surface of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60. Such undulating folds can create the possibility of providing a pleasant feel in the region of the raised sections 60 that enclose the legs. This can allow for a snug fit around the wearer's legs by contacting surfaces having a wider width, whereby leakage of secretions around the legs is suppressed while improving the fit of the leg-covering protruding sections 60 when wearing the diaper 1.

It should be noted that, as illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 16, the diaper 1 is configured such that the outer sheet 14 is folded at predetermined locations f2 and is applied thereon in the thickness direction, and the back sheet 13 is disposed in the thickness direction between the leg elastic members 61a to 61c and the end connected portions 52 and side connected portions 53 in such a state of overlap. That is, in the absorbent body 10, the leg elastic members 61a to 61c do not contact the end bonded portions 52 and the side bonded portions 53 in the thickness direction. If they are positioned so that the end connected portions 52 and the side connected portions 53 are superimposed on the leg elastic members 61 in the thickness direction, the tensile force generated by the leg elastic members 61 will also act on the parts other than the zone L61, in which adhesive is applied to the surface of the leg elastic members 61. The two vertical end portions of the absorbent body 10 and, in addition, the front waist section 20 and the back waist section 30 can be pulled together in the vertical direction. In contrast, since in an embodiment of the present disclosure

- 21 037713 of the invention, the backsheet 13 is positioned on that side of the leg elastic members 61 that faces the skin, the end connected portions 52 and the side connected portions 53 are prevented from contacting the leg elastic members 61, thereby suppressing the pulling force generated elastic members 61 covering the legs to the front section 20 around the waist circumference, the back section 30 around the waist circumference, and the like.

In a state in which each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 is formed, a leg-enclosing elastic 61a of four leg-enclosing elastic members 61a to 61d, which is located at a position closest to the center / innermost in the lateral direction, is positioned laterally between the absorbent member 12 and the welded regions 62, 66. Thus, due to the tightening of the leg elastic 61a, the portion located laterally outwardly with respect to the leg elastic 61a in the protruding the leg enclosing section 60 serves as a base to rise to the skin side of the wearer when wearing the diaper 1, and the height of the leg enclosing protruding section 60 in a standing position is provided. Accordingly, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 are likely to fit snugly around the wearer's legs.

On the other hand, the leg elastic 61d of the four leg elastic members 61a to 61d, which is located at a position outermost in the lateral direction, is located at a position corresponding to the end 60d of the leg-covering protruding section 60, which is the outer in the lateral direction. Accordingly, reliable tight contact of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 with the wearer can be ensured up to the location corresponding to the laterally outward ends 60d by tightening the leg-wrap elastic members 61d. In particular, since the side welded regions 62 do not extend to those ends 60d of the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 that are laterally outward in the diaper 1, the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 may be less likely to remain flat in the region corresponding to outer ends 60d. However, the leg-wrap protruding sections 60 fit snugly around the wearer's legs by using the retraction force generated by the leg-wrap elastic members 61d, whereby it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the fit of the leg-wrap protruding sections 60.

In addition, when the protruding sections 60 enclosing the legs are formed in the process (S105) of forming the protruding sections, the outer sheet in the region between the two end bonded portions 52 extending in the vertical direction rises to the skin side of the wearer from the side bonded portions 53 as a base behind by tightening the elastic elements LSG 51, whereby the wall sections 50 are formed to prevent leakage. The side bonded portions 53 (i.e., the bases for lifting the leakage preventing wall sections 50) are formed so that they do not overlap the welded regions 62, 66 in the lateral direction (S103), and therefore stiffness in the regions in which the side bonded portions 53 are formed in outer sheet 14 does not rise. Accordingly, the outer sheet 14 is likely to bend naturally around the bases formed by the side joined portions 53 so that the leakage preventing wall sections 50 are easily lifted.

In the diaper 1, the leakage-preventing wall sections 50 and the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60 may be integrally formed by folding the outer sheet 14 onto itself. That is, the diaper 1 does not have a seam in the sheet member between the absorbent body 10, the leakage preventing wall sections 50, and the leg-enclosing protruding sections 60. This suppresses leakage of fluid from the seams in the sheets around the wearer's legs.

The above embodiments of the present disclosure are provided merely to facilitate an understanding of the present disclosure and should in no way be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure of the invention may be changed or reformulated in various ways without departing from its essence and covers its equivalents.

For example, a diaper (a so-called two-piece type diaper) can be used which is integrated into one piece such that the outer sheet 14 connects the front waist section 20 and the back waist section 30 together. In addition, the absorbent article according to the present disclosure is not limited to a pull-on disposable diaper and may be a taped disposable diaper. In the case of such a taped disposable diaper or the like, an elastic member that is laterally stretchable may be provided in at least one of two sections around the circumference of the waist. Other uses include pull-on sanitary napkins and urine absorbent pads.

List of reference positions

- diaper (absorbent article, pull-on absorbent article);

- absorbent base element;

- top sheet;

- 22 037713

- absorbent element;

121 - absorbent core;

122 — sheet for wrapping the core;

- back sheet (sheet, impermeable to liquids);

- outer sheet (continuous sheet);

141 — outer continuous sheet;

- front section along the circumference of the waist (section around the circumference of the waist);

- sheet;

- sheet

- elastic element around the circumference of the waist (elastic element that stretches in the lateral direction);

- back section along the circumference of the waist (section around the circumference of the waist);

- sheet;

- sheet;

- elastic element around the circumference of the waist (elastic element that stretches in the lateral direction);

- adhesive zone;

- unconnected zone;

-44 - connected area;

- wall section to prevent leakage;

- elastic element (elastic element LSG);

- end connected part;

- lateral connected part;

- adhesive LSG parts;

- protruding sections covering the legs (protruding section);

a - the part that forms the hole for the leg (the part in which the protruding section forms the hole for the leg);

b - overlapping part;

- elastic elements that cover the legs (elastic element that stretches in the vertical direction);

- side welded areas (welded area);

- first side welded area (first welded area);

- second side welded area (second welded area);

- vertical welded area;

- the first vertical welded zone;

- the second vertical welded zone;

- welded part;

LH - leg hole and

BH - waist hole

Claims (20)

CLAIM 1. An absorbent article having a vertical direction and a lateral direction, the absorbent article comprising an absorbent body (10) including an absorbent body (12), the absorbent body having a longitudinal direction that corresponds to the vertical direction; and a pair of sections (20, 30) along the circumference of the waist, located respectively on one end side and the other end side, in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body (10), while the sections along the circumference of the waist include an elastic element (22, 32), stretching in the lateral direction, while the absorbent body includes two protruding sections (60), extending outwardly, respectively, from two lateral sides of the absorbent element (12), each of the protruding sections (60) having an elastic element (61) stretching vertically and disposed therein, the protruding sections (60) being formed to extend laterally outward from the position on the non-skin side of the absorbent by using a continuous sheet (14) that is laterally continuous, wherein the welded zone (62), having a predetermined length in the lateral direction, is located in the part in which the each of the protruding sections (60) forms a leg opening (LH), the welded area (62) including the first welded area (63) and the second welded area (64), and in a portion in which each of the protruding sections (60 ) forms a leg hole (LH), part not - 23 037713 of the continuous sheet (14), in which the first welded area (63) is located, and the part of the continuous sheet (14), in which the second welded area (64) is located, are superimposed on each other due to the bending of the protruding sections (60) into direction of thickness. 2. Absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the first welded zones (63) and at least part of the second welded zones (64) are not superimposed on each other in the thickness direction. 3. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1, 2, in which the welded zone (62) is located inwardly with respect to the end of each of the projecting sections (60), outward in the lateral direction. 4. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the continuous sheet (14) is folded onto itself at a portion (60a) in which each of the protruding sections (60) forms a leg opening (LH), the sheet (13 ), impervious to liquids, is located between the absorbent member (12) and the continuous sheet (14) and between portions of the folded continuous sheet (14), and the sheet (13) impermeable to liquids is located inwardly with respect to the end of each of the protruding sections (60), outward in the lateral direction. 5. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an elastic member (61) that is vertically stretchable and is positioned in each of the projecting sections (60) intersects with the welded area (62). 6. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which an elastic member (61), which is stretchable in the vertical direction and is placed in each of the projecting sections (60), is located at a location located laterally between the absorbent member ( 12) and the welded area (62). 7. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which an elastic member (61), which is stretchable in the vertical direction and is located in the projecting section (60), is located at the location of the end of each of the projecting sections (60), the outer in the lateral direction. 8. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the absorbent body (10) includes two wall sections (50) preventing leakage, respectively, on two side portions of the absorbent body (12), wherein the wall sections ( 50), leakage prevention is configured to rise towards the wearer, and the leakage prevention wall sections (50) are formed by using a continuous sheet (14). 9. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the two protruding sections (60) are formed by using a continuous sheet (14) that is common to the protruding sections. 10. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, having a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a thickness direction, wherein the pull-on absorbent article includes an absorbent member (12) and an outer sheet (14), wherein the absorbent member (12) has a longitudinal direction corresponding to the vertical direction, the outer sheet (14) is applied to the absorbent body from the side not facing the skin, the outer sheet (14) extends laterally outward from a location on the non-facing side of the absorbent body (12) to the skin, the outer sheet is laterally continuous, the method comprising the step of forming a welded zone to form a welded zone (62) having a predetermined lateral length by welding a portion in which the outer sheet (14) is applied to it in direction of thickness; a step of positioning the elastic member for positioning the elastic member (61) in a predetermined area of the outer sheet (14), the elastic member being vertically stretchable; and a step of forming leg-enclosing protruding sections (60) for forming each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections (60), in which at least a portion of the elastic member (61) overlaps laterally with the welded area (62), the protruding sections (60 ), covering the legs, respectively, protrude from the two lateral sides of the absorbent element (12). 11. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to claim 10, in which, at the stage of forming a welded zone, two parts of the outer sheet (14) in the unfolded state, end in the lateral direction, are bent on them from the outside inward in the lateral direction, the welded zone (62) is formed in the folded portion obtained by folding the outer sheet in the thickness direction, and in the step of forming the protruding sections covering the legs, the protruding section (60) enclosing the leg is formed by folding two portions of the outer sheet (14), end in the lateral direction, on them themselves again from outside to inside. 12. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to claim 10 or 11, wherein in the step of placing the elastic element, the elastic element (61) is positioned so that it overlaps at least part of the welded zones (62) in the lateral direction. 13. A method of manufacturing a stretch absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein 24 037713 welded area (62) includes a first welded area (63) and a second welded area (64), and the first welded area (63) and the second welded area (64) are laterally discontinuous. 14. A method of manufacturing a stretch absorbent article according to claim 13, wherein in the step of forming the protruding sections enclosing the legs, the outer sheet (14) is folded onto itself at a predetermined location located in the lateral direction between the first welded zone (63) and the second welded zone (64). 15. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the welded zone (62) is formed at an inclination at a predetermined angle with respect to the lateral direction. 16. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the welded zone (62) is formed such that a plurality of points (69) are arranged in a defined order in the lateral direction. 17. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 16, in which two wall sections (50), preventing leakage, configured to rise towards the skin side of the wearer, are respectively formed on the two side portions of the absorbent member (12) and the welded zone (62) forms, at a location not laterally overlapping, a location corresponding to the base for lifting each of the leakage preventing wall sections (50). 18. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein a plurality of elastic members (61) are placed side by side in the lateral direction in each of the protruding sections (60) covering the legs and the elastic member (61a) of the plurality of elastic elements, provided on the side innermost in the lateral direction, is placed at a position located in the lateral direction between the absorbent element (12) and the welded area (62). 19. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein a plurality of elastic members (61) are provided laterally side by side in each of the leg-enclosing protruding sections (60) and an elastic member (61d) of the plurality of elastic members, provided on the side outermost in the lateral direction is provided at the end of each of the leg-encompassing protruding sections (60) outward in the lateral direction. 20. A method of manufacturing a pull-on absorbent article according to any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein a liquid-impermeable backsheet (13) is provided on the skin-facing side of the elastic element (61), which is positioned to overlap the welded zone (62) in the lateral direction.