JP2019165878A - Absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article in which a side flap on a front bodice region is hardly twisted, and which can be easily worn.SOLUTION: A side flap 20 is provided by jointing a cover sheet 11 and a pair of three-dimensional gatherings 15 through a hot-melt adhesive. The side flap 20 comprises at least one of a rigid region 21 formed by thermal seal or supersonic deposition, a rigid region 22 by a reinforcement member, and rigid regions 23, 24 by a bellows shape, as the arrangement pattern in at least one of a vertical direction, a lateral direction and an oblique direction. The rigid region can maintain a shape of the side flap 20 to a desired shape. By the rigid region 21 provided on the side flap 20, a grip force of the side flap 20 is improved. Therefore, in wearing, twisting on the side flap 20 is prevented for facilitating wearing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an absorbent article provided with an absorber.

  Absorbent articles such as unfolded disposable diapers (hereinafter simply referred to as “diapers”) that allow discharged body fluid (hereinafter simply referred to as “liquid”) to be absorbed by an absorber are widely known. As a material constituting this diaper, it is desired to use a soft and light material, and side flaps provided by extending a cover sheet or the like tend to have low rigidity. Here, when wearing a diaper, it is necessary to pull the abdominal side flap in the dorsal direction and pull the fastening tape provided on the dorsal side flap to the abdominal side. However, in particular, on the ventral side flap, unlike the side flap on the back side, no fastening tape is provided, and when worn, it tends to be twisted and takes time to wear. There was also.

  Here, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a shape-retaining material is provided, although it is not a ventral side flap but a back side flap. A material that holds the shape of the back side flap by arranging the shape holding member so as to overlap the back side flap and the absorber has been proposed.

JP 2008-161527 A

  However, since the shape-retaining material described in Patent Document 1 is arranged so as to overlap with the absorber, there is a problem that the absorber is damaged along with the movement of the wearer. Furthermore, the problem of twisting of the ventral side flap has not been solved.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article in which at least the ventral side flaps are not easily twisted and are easy to wear.

  In order to solve the above problems, an absorbent article according to the present invention includes a cover sheet, a liquid-permeable surface sheet provided on the skin contact surface side of the cover sheet, and a space between the cover sheet and the surface sheet. An absorbent body, and a pair of side sheets forming a three-dimensional gather provided with a stretchable member, wherein the cover sheet and / or the side sheets are used to form a stomach side and a back side. A pair of side flaps are provided at the edges in the width direction on the side, and at least the pair of side flaps on the ventral side is provided with a rigid region in order to maintain the curved or planar shape of the side flaps. Is.

  In the absorbent article, the rigid region may be provided by heat fusion or ultrasonic welding.

  The absorbent article may be characterized in that the rigid region is provided by a reinforcing member.

  Moreover, the said absorbent article WHEREIN: The said rigid area | region is good also as what is provided by performing a folding process to the said side sheet | seat which comprises the said side flap.

  Moreover, the said absorbent article is good also as what is provided with the said rigid area | region as the some linear shape and / or curved shape in the surface of the said side flap.

  According to the absorbent article of the present invention, it is possible to provide an absorbent article in which at least the ventral side flap is hardly twisted and is easy to wear.

It is the perspective view seen from the front side which shows one Embodiment of the expansion | deployment type disposable diaper which concerns on this invention. It is the typical top view which looked at the extension state of the diaper shown in Drawing 1 from the top sheet side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the diaper shown by FIG. It is the schematic diagram which expanded IV part in FIG. 2, Comprising: (a) is the linear shape paralleled in the horizontal direction, (b) is the broken line shape arrange | positioned zigzag in the horizontal direction, (c) is (D) is a straight line shape arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, (e) is a broken line shape arranged in a staggered manner in the vertical direction, and (f) is a horizontal direction. (G) is a straight line shape arranged in parallel in the oblique direction, (h) is a broken line shape arranged in a staggered manner in the oblique direction, and (i) is a wavy line shape in the oblique direction. Yes, (j) is an oblique lattice shape, (k) is a lattice shape, (l) is a contour shape, and (m) is a diagram showing an example of a contour shape and a brace shape. is there. It is a schematic diagram which shows another embodiment of the rigid area | region in the side flap of FIG. 4, Comprising: (a) is the linear shape paralleled in the horizontal direction, (b) is the linear shape paralleled in the vertical direction. , (C) is a linear shape intersecting in an oblique direction, (d) is a contour shape, (e) is a square shape, (f) is a contour shape and a brace shape, (g) is a quadrangular shape and a brace shape, (h) is the shape of only the outer periphery of the contour shape, and (i) is a diagram showing an example of the shape of only the outer periphery of the square shape. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the rigid area | region in the side flap of FIG. 4, (a) is a bellows shape of the vertical direction, (b) is a figure which shows the example of the bellows shape of the diagonal direction It is.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. However, the present invention is not limited to the aspect of the present embodiment.

<Outline of diapers>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view seen from the front side showing one embodiment of the unfolded disposable diaper according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the stretched state of the diaper shown in FIG. 1 seen from the top sheet side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper shown in FIG. Here, about the diaper of FIG. 2 and the absorber of FIG. 3, the partially broken state is shown for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the diaper 10 includes a front body region 10F, a back body region 10R, and a crotch region 10C that connects the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R. Moreover, the waist periphery opening part 10W which surrounds a wearer's waist part with the front body area | region 10F and the back body area | region 10R at the time of wear is formed. Similarly, a pair of left and right leg openings 10L that surround the thighs of the wearer's legs are formed by the lower ends of the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R and the crotch region 10C.

  When the diaper 10 is worn, the front body region 10F is located on the wearer's belly side, and the back body region 10R is located on the wearer's back side. The crotch region 10C covers the wearer's crotch when worn, and the wearer's legs are respectively passed through the pair of left and right leg openings 10L. Therefore, the leg-hole opening 10L is located anywhere from the base of the wearer's legs to around the thigh.

  The diaper 10 includes a cover sheet 11 provided so as to cover the crotch region 10C and the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R, and a pair of left and right fastenings bonded to the left and right edge portions of the back body region 10R of the cover sheet 11. A tape 10A and a front patch sheet 10B bonded to the front body region 10F of the cover sheet 11 are further provided. Fastening tape 10A is releasably joined to front patch sheet 10B, and in this joined state, leg opening 10L and waist opening 10W are formed.

  The imaginary line P extends from the abdominal side to the back side through the crotch part in the central part of the diaper. Specifically, for example, if the imaginary line P is defined with the waist side of the diaper as the upper side and the crotch side as the lower side, the phantom line P extends along the diaper surface and in the vertical direction, and passes through the crotch part on the back side. Also extends in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the diaper 10 includes a cover sheet 11 formed of a thin non-woven fabric in order from the outside to obtain a good touch, a back sheet 12 having liquid impermeability, and an absorber. 13, a liquid-permeable top sheet (surface sheet) 14, and a pair of three-dimensional gathers (side sheets) 15 made of a hydrophobic sheet member are stacked. .

  The cover sheet 11 is formed with a pair of notches 11N serving as leg openings 10L on both the left and right sides of the crotch region 10C. Between the cover sheet 11 and a pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 which will be described later, a pair of rubber threads 16 for forming a leg gather is bonded in an extended state.

  The back sheet 12 is bonded to the cover sheet 11 on one side and is bonded to the top sheet 14 via the absorber 13 on the other side. Further, in the backsheet 12, an area corresponding to the upper end portion of the back body area 10 </ b> R extends along the width direction of the backsheet 12, and is elastic for giving a wearer an appropriate wearing feeling around the waist. Sheet 10D is joined.

  The absorbent body 13 is a mat-like one in which an absorbent core 17 mainly composed of pulp and SAP dispersed and arranged in the pulp is wrapped with a covering member (core wrap) 18 such as tissue or nonwoven fabric. The seam formed by wrapping the absorbent core 17 with the covering member 18 is, for example, on the upper surface of the absorber 13 in the front-rear direction (the extending direction of the imaginary line P in FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. It is formed to extend. The absorbent body 13 of the present embodiment has an elongated shape extending over the front body region 10F, the crotch region 10C, and the back body region 10R. Here, if the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction (the extending direction of the imaginary line P in FIG. 2) is the left-right direction, the absorbent body 13 of the present embodiment is a rectangular one having different front-rear left-right lengths (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the front and rear lengths are longer than the left and right lengths).

  In addition, the shape of the absorber 13 of this embodiment is not restricted to this, For example, the substantially square thing of the length of the front and back, right and left is the same, the thing by which the angle | corner of the front and rear ends is rounded, and the ellipse shape extended front and rear Includes various shapes such as round and round. Moreover, a pair of notch parts which make | form arc shape may be formed in the crotch part of the absorber 13 so as to correspond to a pair of leg periphery opening part 10L. In addition, in the diaper 10 which concerns on this embodiment, although the absorber 13 wrapped with the coating | coated member 18 is used, the absorbent article which concerns on this invention absorbs the absorbent core 17 which is not wrapped with the coating | coated member 18. It may be used as the body 13.

  The pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 are provided along the front-rear direction of the absorber 13, and one side edge portion of the side edges extending in the front-rear direction of the absorber 13 has a substantially straight shape, and the other side edge portion. A notch 15N is formed near the crotch. The inner parts of the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 are not joined to the top sheet 14, and the three-dimensional gathers 15 include free ends at their substantially linear side edges. At this free end, a rubber thread 19 that is an elastic member acting on a tensile force is disposed in an extended state along the front-rear direction of the absorber 13. The pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 can stand up along both side edges of the absorbent body 13 in a worn state by the rubber thread 19. The pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 and the cover sheet 11 are joined to each other, and side flaps 20 are provided at the left and right edges of the front body region 10F (abdominal side) and the back body region 10R (back side). Although details will be described later, at least the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F is provided with a rigid region 21, and the curved shape or planar shape of the side flap 20 is maintained. Thereby, since the rigid area | region 21 and the absorber 13 do not overlap and are arrange | positioned like patent document 1, damage to the absorber 13 can be prevented. In addition, although the side flap 20 in this embodiment is comprised from the cover sheet | seat 11 and a pair of solid gathers 15, it is comprised not only this but only the cover sheet | seat 11 or only a pair of solid gathers 15. It may be a thing.

  Next, in order to increase the rigidity of the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F in the present embodiment, details of the rigid region 21 provided in the side flap 20 will be described.

<Arrangement pattern of rigid region (heat fusion or ultrasonic welding) in side flap>
FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of the IV portion in FIG. 2, and is a diagram for explaining an arrangement pattern of the side flap rigid region 21 (thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding) in the front body region 10F.

  The side flaps 20 are provided by intermittently applying a hot melt adhesive to a predetermined joining surface between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 and joining them together (see FIGS. 2 and 3). ). The cover sheet 11 on the non-skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 is provided with a rigid region 21 by thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding only in the region of the side flap 20.

  The shape of the rigid region 21 is a linear shape parallel to the horizontal direction as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and a vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 4D to 4F. It is provided as a linear shape, a linear shape arranged in an oblique direction as shown in FIGS. 4 (g) to 4 (i), or an enclosed shape as shown in FIGS. 4 (j) to 4 (m). ing. Here, the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 provided on the side flap 20 is not formed up to the peripheral edge of the side flap 20. This is to prevent the rigid region 21 provided on the side flap 20 from directly touching the wearer's skin. Next, details of each array pattern will be described in order.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 that are linear in parallel in the horizontal direction, FIG. 4A is a linear shape parallel in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 4B is staggered in the horizontal direction. FIG. 4C illustrates a wavy line shape in the vertical direction. This linear shape parallel to the lateral direction has a relatively high lateral rigidity, and the direction in which the linear shape extends coincides with the pulling direction of the side flap 20 when worn. It can be pulled while effectively preventing lateral twisting. Here, when the rigid region 21 is formed in a linear shape (FIG. 4A) arranged in parallel in the lateral direction, although the lateral stiffness is relatively high, the thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes large, and the work efficiency is poor. turn into. Therefore, if the rigid region 21 is arranged in a staggered arrangement in the horizontal direction (FIG. 4B), the adjacent broken line is arranged so as to face the intermittent part of the broken line, so that the rigidity in the horizontal direction is secured. In addition, the heat-sealing or ultrasonic welding area can be relatively reduced. On the other hand, if the rigid region 21 has a wavy shape in the vertical direction (FIG. 4C), the thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes larger, but the linear shape in the oblique direction also increases the vertical rigidity. be able to.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 that are linearly arranged in the vertical direction, FIG. 4D is a linear shape paralleled in the vertical direction, and FIG. 4E is staggered in the vertical direction. FIG. 4 (f) shows a wavy shape in the horizontal direction. The linear shape arranged in parallel in the vertical direction has a relatively high vertical rigidity and is bent along the side abdomen when worn, so that the fit is improved, and in particular, the vertical twist of the side flap 20 is effective. Can be prevented. Here, when the rigid region 21 is formed in a straight line shape (FIG. 4D) arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, although the rigidity in the vertical direction is relatively high, the heat fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes large and the work efficiency is poor. turn into. Therefore, if the rigid region 21 is arranged in a staggered arrangement in the vertical direction (FIG. 4 (e)), the adjacent broken line is arranged to face the intermittent part of the broken line, so that the vertical rigidity is secured. In addition, the heat-sealing or ultrasonic welding area can be relatively reduced. On the other hand, if the rigid region 21 has a wavy shape in the lateral direction (FIG. 4 (f)), although the thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes larger, the lateral rigidity is also enhanced by the linear shape in the oblique direction. be able to.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 that are linearly arranged in the diagonal direction, FIG. 4G is a linear shape paralleled in the diagonal direction, and FIG. 4H is staggered in the diagonal direction. FIG. 4 (i) shows a wavy line shape in an oblique direction. The linear shape parallel to the diagonal direction has relatively high rigidity in the diagonal direction, and the extending direction of the linear shape has the same direction component as the pulling direction of the side flap 20 at the time of wearing. The side flap 20 can be pulled while effectively preventing the twist in the oblique direction. Here, when the rigid region 21 is formed in a straight line shape (FIG. 4G) arranged in an oblique direction, although the rigidity in the oblique direction is relatively high, the thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes large and the work efficiency is poor. turn into. Therefore, assuming that the rigid region 21 is in a staggered arrangement in the oblique direction (FIG. 4 (h)), since the adjacent broken line is opposed to the intermittent part of the broken line, the rigidity in the oblique direction is secured. In addition, the heat-sealing or ultrasonic welding area can be relatively reduced. On the other hand, when the rigid region 21 has a wavy shape in the oblique direction (FIG. 4 (i)), the rigidity in the oblique direction can be further increased, although the thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding area becomes larger.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 that are enclosed, FIG. 4 (j) shows an oblique lattice shape, FIG. 4 (k) shows a lattice shape, and FIG. 4 (l) shows an outline. FIG. 4 (m) shows a contour shape and a brace shape. This enclosed shape is a so-called closed shape, and in particular, the side flap 20 can be effectively prevented from being twisted in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the shape of the side flap 20 can be reliably maintained when worn. can do. Here, if the rigid region 21 has an oblique lattice shape (FIG. 4 (j)) or a lattice shape (FIG. 4 (k)), although the rigidity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is high, thermal fusion or ultrasonic waves The welding area becomes large, and the work efficiency becomes worse. Therefore, if the rigid region 21 is formed into a contour shape (FIG. 4L), or a contour shape and a brace shape (FIG. 4M), heat fusion or super-strength is ensured while ensuring the rigidity in the vertical and lateral directions. The sonic welding area can be made relatively small, and the touch of the center portion of the side flap 20 can be improved.

  In this embodiment, the rigid region 21 provided by heat fusion or ultrasonic welding can increase the rigidity of the side flap 20, and the shape of the side flap 20 is changed to a desired shape, for example, a curved shape or a planar shape. Can be maintained. Further, when providing the rigid region 21 on the side flap 20, no additional member is required, and the air permeability of the side flap 20 provided with the rigid region 21 is prevented in order to prevent the rigid region 21 from becoming thicker than other regions. Can maintain the function. Furthermore, the gripping force of the side flap 20 can be improved by the rigid region 21 provided in the side flap 20. Thereby, when pulling the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F in the direction of the rear body region 10R at the time of wearing, it is possible to prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted and to perform the mounting smoothly.

  In this embodiment, the rigid region 21 is provided only on the side flap 20 in the front body region 10F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rigid region 21 may be provided on the side flap 20 in the rear body region 10R. The arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 21 provided on the side flaps 20 in the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R may be the same or different. Furthermore, when the rigid region 21 is provided on the side flap 20 in the rear body region 10R, the region A (the region A indicated by hatching in FIG. 2) where the fastening tape 10A is not attached is attached to the fastening tape 10A. Since the rigidity is lower than that of the formed area, the rigid area 21 may be provided only in the area A, or the rigid area 21 may be provided in the area to which the fastening tape 10A is attached in addition to the area A.

  Moreover, the linear shape (FIG. 4 (a) thru | or FIG.4 (c)) which paralleled the rigid area | region 21 of this embodiment in the horizontal direction, and the linear shape (FIG.4 (d) thru | or FIG.4 (f)) arranged in the vertical direction. ), Line shapes arranged in parallel in an oblique direction (FIGS. 4G to 4I) or enclosed shapes (FIGS. 4J and 4K) are adjacent line shapes By arranging them closely, the rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the linear shape can be increased. Also, it is not necessary to make the width of the line shape uniform. For example, the width of the line shape on the outside in parallel may be increased, and the width of the line shape may be gradually reduced toward the inside. The width of the line shape may be narrowed, and the width of the line shape may be gradually increased toward the inside.

  Further, when the rigid region 21 of the present embodiment is surrounded by a shape (FIGS. 4L and 4M), it is not necessary to make the widths of the contour shape and the bracing shape uniform. The width of the rigid region 21 may be increased and the width of the other rigid region 21 may be decreased. Conversely, the width of the rigid region 21 in the vertical direction is increased and the width of the other rigid region 21 is decreased. May be.

  In addition, in the arrangement pattern of the rigid region 21 of the embodiment, there is a linear shape parallel in the horizontal direction, a linear shape parallel in the vertical direction, a linear shape parallel in the oblique direction, or an enclosed shape. Although shown, it is not restricted to this, For example, the curve shape or concentric circle shape, and the combination of these arrangement | sequence patterns may be sufficient. Further, the arrangement pattern of the rigid region 21 is not formed up to the vertical and horizontal ends of the side flap 20, but may be formed up to the vertical and horizontal ends to further increase the rigidity. . Moreover, although the rigid area | region 21 is provided by heat sealing | fusion or ultrasonic welding, you may provide not only this but a hot-melt-adhesive agent etc., for example. Furthermore, although the rigid area | region 21 is provided in the cover sheet 11 which is the non-skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 in order to improve a wearer's touch, it is the skin contact surface side of the side flap 20. A rigid region 21 may be provided in the three-dimensional gather 15.

  Next, the process of providing the rigid region 21 on the side flap 20 in the present embodiment will be described.

<Step of providing a rigid region (heat fusion or ultrasonic welding) on the side flap>
The diaper 10 in this embodiment is manufactured by the manufacturing method including the following processes, for example.
(1) First, a hot melt adhesive is intermittently applied to a predetermined joint surface between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 (hereinafter referred to as “step of applying an adhesive”).
(2) Then, the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 are pressed and joined in a contacting direction by a pair of rollers or the like (hereinafter referred to as “press-joining process”).
(3) Next, the positions corresponding to the leg cover openings 10L of the laminated cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 are cut to form the pair of notches 11N and 15N, whereby the side flap 20 However, it is provided at both edge portions around the waist of the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R (hereinafter referred to as “step of providing side flaps”).

  Here, the process in which the rigid region 21 is provided in the side flap 20 is performed, for example, in any preceding process of the process (3) in which the side flap is provided, or in a subsequent process in the process (3) in which the side flap is provided. . Here, the rigid region 21 is provided on the non-skin contact surface side of the cover sheet 11.

  When the step in which the rigid region 21 is provided on the side flap 20 is the previous step in step (3) in which the side flap is provided, the rigid region 21 is accurately aligned with the region where the side flap 20 is to be provided. And need to be provided. However, when the rigid area 21 is provided up to the upper end in the vertical direction of the area of the side flap 20 (for example, the linear shape parallel to the vertical direction (FIG. 4D) is the upper end in the vertical direction of the area of the side flap 20 In the step (3) in which the side flap is provided even if the rigid region 21 is provided from the upper end in the vertical direction of the region of the side flap 20 to the notch 11N. Since 11N is cut, it is not necessary to align the rigid region 21 with high accuracy.

  When the step of providing the rigid region 21 on the side flap 20 is a subsequent step of the step (3) in which the side flap is provided, the rigid region 21 can be provided while directly checking the region of the side flap 20, The rigid region 21 can be easily aligned as compared with the case where any one of the steps (3) in which the side flaps are provided.

  Next, the detail about the rigid area | region 22 provided in the side flap 20 of the front body area | region 10F in another embodiment is demonstrated.

<Arrangement pattern of rigid area (reinforcement member) in side flap>
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the rigid region in the side flap of FIG. 4, and is a diagram for explaining an arrangement pattern of the rigid region 22 (reinforcing member) of the side flap in the front body region 10 </ b> F. is there.

  The side flaps 20 are provided by intermittently applying a hot melt adhesive to a predetermined joining surface between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 and joining them together (see FIGS. 2 and 3). ). Between the cover sheet 11 on the non-skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 or between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15, a rigid region 22 by a reinforcing member is provided only in the region of the side flap 20. ing.

  The shape of the rigid region 22 is a linear shape arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 5A, a linear shape arranged in parallel in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 5B, and as shown in FIG. Provided as a straight line shape that intersects the diagonal direction, an enclosed shape as shown in FIGS. 5 (d) to 5 (g), or a C-shape as shown in FIGS. 5 (h) and 5 (i). It has been. Here, the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 provided on the side flap 20 is not formed up to the peripheral edge of the side flap 20. This is to prevent the rigid region 22 provided on the side flap 20 from directly touching the wearer's skin. Hereinafter, these will be described in order.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 (FIG. 5 (a)) which are linear shapes arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, the extending direction of the linear shapes arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and the pulling direction of the side flaps 20 when worn Therefore, in particular, the side flap 20 can be pulled while effectively preventing lateral twisting. Furthermore, the installation area can be reduced and the touch of the side flaps 20 can be improved as compared with the linear shapes (FIGS. 4A to 4C) arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 (FIG. 5 (b)), which are linear shapes arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, this linear shape arranged in parallel in the vertical direction bends along the flank when worn, improving the fit. In particular, the side flap 20 can be effectively prevented from being twisted in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the installation area can be reduced and the touch of the side flap 20 can be improved as compared with the linear shapes (FIGS. 4D to 4F) arranged in parallel in the vertical direction.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 (FIG. 5 (c)), which is a linear shape that intersects the diagonal direction, the extending direction of the linear shape parallel to the diagonal direction is the pulling direction of the side flaps 20 when worn. In particular, the side flap 20 can be pulled while effectively preventing twisting in the oblique direction.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern (FIGS. 5D to 5G) of the rigid region 22 having the enclosed shape, FIG. 5D is an outline shape, and FIG. 5E is a square shape. 5 (f) shows the contour shape and the bracing shape, and FIG. 5 (g) shows the quadrangular shape and the bracing shape. By providing the enclosed shape on the side flap 20, it is possible to effectively prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and reliably maintain the shape of the side flap 20 when worn. can do. Here, if the rigid region 22 has a contour shape (FIG. 5D) or a quadrangular shape (FIG. 5E), the rigid region 22 may be deformed by a force that pulls the side flap 20 during wearing. Therefore, the deformation of the rigid region 22 is suppressed by adopting a so-called truss structure with the rigid region 22 having a contour shape and bracing shape (FIG. 5 (f)) or a square shape and bracing shape (FIG. 5 (g)). be able to.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern (FIG. 5 (h) and FIG. 5 (i)) of the rigid region 22 that is C-shaped, FIG. 5 (h) shows the shape of only the outer peripheral edge of the contour shape. ) Is a shape of only a rectangular outer peripheral edge. By providing this C-shape on the side flap 20, it is possible to effectively prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted in the vertical and horizontal directions. At the time of wearing, at least a part of the contour shape of the side flap 20 can be obtained. Can be reliably maintained. Moreover, although the rigidity in the vertical direction is lower than that of the enclosed shape (FIGS. 5D to 5G), the number of reinforcing members can be reduced and work efficiency can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the rigid region 22 provided by the reinforcing member can be selected from various materials as compared to the rigid region 21 provided by thermal fusion or ultrasonic welding. The degree of freedom to adjust is relatively high. Thereby, the rigidity of the side flap 20 can be easily increased to a desired value, and the shape of the side flap 20 can be maintained in a desired shape, for example, a curved surface shape or a planar shape. Further, the gripping force of the side flap 20 can be improved by the rigid region 22 provided in the side flap 20. Thereby, when pulling the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F in the direction of the rear body region 10R at the time of wearing, it is possible to prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted and to perform the mounting smoothly.

  In this embodiment, the rigid region 22 is provided only on the side flap 20 in the front body region 10F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rigid region 22 may be provided on the side flap 20 in the rear body region 10R. The arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 provided on the side flaps 20 in the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R may be the same or different. Further, when the rigid region 22 is provided on the side flap 20 in the rear body region 10R, the region A where the fastening tape 10A is not attached (the region A indicated by hatching in FIG. 2) is attached to the fastening tape 10A. Since the rigidity is lower than that of the formed region, the rigid region 22 may be provided only in the region A, or the rigid region 22 may be provided in the region to which the fastening tape 10A is attached in addition to the region A.

  Moreover, when making the rigid area | region 22 of embodiment into the linear shape (FIG.5 (a)) parallelly arranged in the horizontal direction, or the linear shape (FIG.5 (b)) paralleled to the vertical direction, adjacent linear shapes are mutually. By arranging them densely, the rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the linear shape can be increased. Also, it is not necessary to make the width of the line shape uniform. For example, the width of the line shape on the outside in parallel may be increased, and the width of the line shape may be gradually reduced toward the inside. The width of the line shape may be narrowed, and the width of the line shape may be gradually increased toward the inside.

  Further, a linear shape (FIG. 5 (c)), an enclosed shape (FIG. 5 (d) to FIG. 5 (g)), or a C-shape (FIG. 5) intersecting the rigid region 22 of the present embodiment in an oblique direction. In the case of 5 (h) and FIG. 5 (i)), it is not necessary to make the width of the reinforcing member uniform. For example, the width of the reinforcing member in any one of the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the diagonal direction is increased. The width of the reinforcing member may be reduced. Furthermore, the rigidity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the side flap 20 can be further increased by integrally molding these reinforcing members or by fixing the reinforcing members provided separately at the intersections. .

  In the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 22 according to the embodiment, any one of a linear shape paralleled in the horizontal direction, a linear shape paralleled in the vertical direction, a linear shape intersecting the oblique direction, an enclosed shape, or a C-shape However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a curved shape or a concentric circular shape, or a combination of these arrangement patterns may be used. Further, the arrangement pattern of the rigid region 22 is not formed up to the vertical and horizontal ends of the side flap 20, but may be formed up to the vertical and horizontal ends to further increase the rigidity. . The material of the reinforcing member that constitutes the rigid region 22 may be, for example, a nonwoven fabric, a film, rubber, a foam, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, in order to improve the feel of the wearer, the rigid region 22 is provided between the cover sheet 11 on the non-skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 or between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15. However, it may be provided in the three-dimensional gather 15 which is the skin contact surface side of the side flap 20.

  In the present embodiment, the side flap 20 is provided with a reinforcing member separate from the member constituting the diaper. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the members constituting the diaper (for example, the front patch sheet 10B and the back sheet 12). Alternatively, a member obtained by extending the top sheet 14 or the like so as to overlap the region of the side flaps 20 may be used as the reinforcing member, whereby the positioning of the reinforcing member becomes unnecessary and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Next, the process of providing the rigid region 22 on the side flap 20 in this embodiment will be described.

<Step of providing a rigid region (reinforcing member) on the side flap>
The case where the rigid region 22 provided in the side flap 20 is provided on the non-skin contact surface side of the cover sheet 11 and the case where it is provided between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 will be described in order.

  First, a case where the rigid region 22 is provided on the non-skin contact surface side of the cover sheet 11 will be described. The step of providing the rigid region 22 on the side flap 20 is the same as that of the step (3) in which the side flap is provided or the side flap is provided as shown in the manufacturing process of the diaper. It is performed in a post process.

  When the step in which the rigid region 22 is provided in the side flap 20 is the previous step in step (3) in which the side flap is provided, the rigid region 22 is accurately aligned with the region in which the side flap 20 is to be provided. And need to be provided.

  When the step of providing the side flap 20 with the rigid region 22 is a subsequent step of the step (3) in which the side flap is provided, the rigid region 22 can be provided while directly checking the side flap 20 region. The rigid region 22 can be easily aligned as compared with the case where any one of the steps (3) in which the side flaps are provided.

  Next, the case where the rigid area | region 22 is provided between the cover sheet 11 and a pair of solid gathers 15 is demonstrated. The process in which the rigid region 22 is provided in the side flap 20 is performed in the previous process of the process (2) of press bonding. In the step (1) in which the adhesive is applied, a region where the side flaps 20 are to be provided is obtained using a hot melt adhesive applied to a predetermined joining surface between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15. It is necessary to align and provide the rigid region 22 with high accuracy.

  Next, details of the rigid regions 23 and 24 provided in the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F in still another embodiment will be described.

<Arrangement pattern of rigid area (bellows shape) in side flap>
6 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the rigid region in the side flap of FIG. 4, and the side flap rigid regions 23 and 24 in the front body region 10 </ b> F (the bellows by the folding line 23 and the valley folding line 24) It is a figure for demonstrating the arrangement pattern of a shape.

  The side flaps 20 are provided by intermittently applying a hot melt adhesive to a predetermined joining surface between the cover sheet 11 and the pair of three-dimensional gathers 15 and joining them together (see FIGS. 2 and 3). ). The three-dimensional gather 15 on the skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 is provided with rigid regions 23 and 24 having a bellows shape only in the region of the side flap 20.

  The rigid regions 23 and 24 are provided in a vertical bellows shape as shown in FIG. 6A and an oblique bellows shape as shown in FIG. 6B. Hereinafter, these will be described in order.

  When the arrangement pattern of the rigid regions 23 and 24 having a vertical bellows shape (FIG. 6A) is seen, the linear shape (the fold line 23 and the valley fold line 24) arranged in parallel in the vertical direction causes the flank portion when worn. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted in the vertical direction, and to improve air permeability.

  Looking at the arrangement pattern (FIG. 6B) of the rigid regions 23 and 24 having the bellows shape in the oblique direction, the extending direction of the linear shapes (the folding line 23 and the valley folding line 24) juxtaposed in the oblique direction is as follows. Since it has the same direction component as the pulling direction of the side flaps 20 at the time of wearing, it can be pulled while effectively preventing the twisting of the side flaps 20 in an oblique direction, and further improves air permeability. Can be made. Further, the installation area of the oblique bellows shape (FIG. 6B) can be reduced as compared with the longitudinal bellows shape (FIG. 6A), so that the work efficiency can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the rigid regions 23 and 24 provided by the bellows shape can increase the rigidity of the side flap 20, and maintain the shape of the side flap 20 in a desired shape, for example, a curved surface shape or a planar shape. Can do. In addition, since no additional members are required to provide the rigid regions 23 and 24, the number of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, the gripping force of the side flap 20 can be improved by the rigid regions 23 and 24 provided in the side flap 20. Thereby, when pulling the side flap 20 of the front body region 10F in the direction of the rear body region 10R at the time of wearing, it is possible to prevent the side flap 20 from being twisted and to perform the mounting smoothly.

  In the present embodiment, the rigid regions 23 and 24 are provided only on the side flap 20 in the front body region 10F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rigid regions 23 and 24 are provided on the side flap 20 in the rear body region 10R. In this case, the arrangement patterns of the rigid regions 23 and 24 provided on the side flaps 20 in the front body region 10F and the back body region 10R may be the same or different. Further, when the rigid regions 23 and 24 are provided on the side flap 20 in the back body region 10R, the region A to which the fastening tape 10A is not attached (the region A indicated by hatching in FIG. 2) is the fastening tape 10A. The rigidity regions 23 and 24 may be provided only in the region A. In addition to the region A, the rigid regions 23 and 24 may be provided in the region where the fastening tape 10A is attached. May be provided.

  In addition, when making rigid area | regions 23 and 24 of embodiment into a bellows shape (FIG. 6 (a) and FIG.6 (b)), by arranging the adjacent fold line 23 and the valley fold line 24 closely, a bellows The rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the shape can be increased. In addition, in the rigid regions 23 and 24 of the embodiment, the three-dimensional gather 15 on the skin contact surface side of the side flap 20 is provided to improve the feel of the wearer. You may provide in the cover sheet 11 which is a contact surface side.

  Next, the process of providing the rigid regions 23 and 24 provided on the side flap 20 in the present embodiment will be described.

<Step of providing a rigid region (bellows shape) on the side flap>
The process of providing the rigid regions 23 and 24 in the side flap 20 is performed in the previous process of the process (1) where the adhesive is applied, which is shown in the manufacturing process of the diaper. In the step of providing the rigid regions 23 and 24 in the side flap 20, it is necessary to accurately align and provide the rigid regions 23 and 24 formed by folding with a press or the like in the region where the side flap 20 is to be provided. However, at the upper end in the vertical direction of the region of the side flap 20 (the vertical upper end of the vertical bellows shape (FIG. 6A) and the diagonal bellows shape (FIG. 6B)) Even if the rigid areas 23 and 24 are provided from the upper end in the vertical direction of the area of the flap 20 to the notch 11N, the rigidity area 23, 24 is provided in order to cut the notch 11N in the step (3) in which the side flap is provided. 23 and 24 need not be aligned with high accuracy. Here, when the side flap 20 is provided with an oblique bellows shape (FIG. 6B), the area of the bellows shape that is cut together with the notch portion 15N can be reduced, thereby improving productivity. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, at least one of the rigid region 21 by heat welding or ultrasonic welding, the rigid region 22 by the reinforcing member, and the rigid regions 23 and 24 by the bellows shape only on the side flap 20 in the front body region 10F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a combination thereof may be provided. Further, the side flap 20 in the back body region 10R also includes any one of a rigid region 21 by heat fusion or ultrasonic welding, a rigid region 22 by a reinforcing member, and rigid regions 23 and 24 by a bellows shape, or These combinations may be provided.

10 Diaper 10A Fastening tape 10B Front patch sheet 10F Front body region (ventral side)
10R Rear body area (back side)
10C Inseam area 10W Waist circumference opening 10L Leg circumference opening 11 Cover sheet 11N, 15N Notch 12 Back sheet 13 Absorbent body 14 Top sheet (surface sheet)
15 Three-dimensional gather (side sheet)
16, 19 Thread rubber 17 Absorbent core 18 Cover member 20 Side flap 21 Rigid region (thermal fusion, ultrasonic welding)
22 Rigid area (Reinforcement member)
23 Rigid region (folding line of bellows shape)
24 Rigid area (valley-shaped valley fold line)

Claims (5)

A cover sheet;
A liquid-permeable surface sheet provided on the skin contact surface side of the cover sheet;
An absorber provided between the cover sheet and the top sheet;
A pair of side sheets forming a three-dimensional gather provided with elastic members;
An absorbent article comprising:
With the cover sheet and / or the side sheet, a pair of side flaps are provided at the edges in the width direction of the abdomen and the back,
An absorbent article, wherein at least the pair of side flaps on the ventral side is provided with a rigid region in order to maintain the curved or planar shape of the side flaps.   The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the rigid region is provided by performing heat fusion or ultrasonic welding.   The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the rigid region is provided by a reinforcing member.   The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rigid region is provided by performing a folding process on the side sheet constituting the side flap.   The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rigid region is provided as a plurality of linear shapes and / or curved shapes on a surface of the side flap.

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