JP2023095498A - absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article excellent in external appearance, fitness and side leakage prevention performance.SOLUTION: In hydrophobic sheet overlapped portions 24 of side flap parts 20, sealing parts 10 in which skin side hydrophobic sheets 22, 23, 70 and a non-skin side hydrophobic sheet 4 are connected continue in a longitudinal direction X to an entire length in the longitudinal direction X of a diaper 1. In the sealing parts 10, side elastic members 8 are arranged in a stretchable manner in the longitudinal direction X over an entire length in the longitudinal direction X of the sealing parts 10. At least in a ventral part F and a back side part R, a plurality of through holes 30 penetrating into a surface sheet 3 in a thickness direction are scattered in the surface sheet 3, and a plurality of lateral groove portions 52Y extending in a lateral direction Y are scattered in an absorbent core 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an absorbent article that can be used to absorb and retain excrement such as urine.

Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers typically include an absorbent body that absorbs and retains bodily fluids, a hydrophilic surface sheet arranged closer to the wearer's skin than the absorbent body, and and a hydrophobic backsheet disposed on the side remote from the wearer's skin. In the absorbent article having such a structure, conventionally, for the purpose of preventing leakage of excrement such as urine and loose feces in the lateral direction (so-called lateral leakage), both sides along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article are attached to the wearer's skin. For example, a leak-proof cuff that stands up toward the wearer's leg is provided, and a leg-surrounding elastic member is stretchably arranged at a portion of the absorbent article that is arranged around the wearer's leg (for example, Patent Document 1 ). The vertical direction here is the direction corresponding to the front-rear direction of the wearer of the absorbent article, and the horizontal direction is the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction.

JP-A-63-99301

When an absorbent article equipped with a leakage-preventing cuff is worn and the wearer is in a sideways sleeping position, excrement such as urine is excreted into the central region of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction. flows downward on the surface sheet due to gravity and reaches the base end of the leak-proof cuff located at the lowest position. The base end portion of the leak-preventing cuff is a portion where the leak-preventing cuff is fixed to another member (for example, a top sheet) and serves as a starting point when standing up. Since the cuff is positioned outward, the excrement reaching the proximal end tends to accumulate between the leak-proof cuff and the other member without being absorbed inside the absorbent article. Thus, the excrement collected at the proximal end of the leakage-preventing cuff in the central region in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article is diffused in the longitudinal direction via the other members, and lateral leakage at the longitudinal ends of the absorbent article is prevented. can be the cause. In addition to basic performance such as appearance and fit to the wearer's body, it is also excellent in side leakage prevention performance. A technology capable of effectively preventing "side leakage" has not yet been provided.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that is excellent in appearance, fit, and side leakage prevention performance.

The present invention has a longitudinal direction extending from the abdomen of the wearer to the dorsal side through the crotch portion and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and has a crotch portion arranged in the crotch portion when worn, and the crotch portion. Absorption including an absorbent core that has an abdominal portion arranged on the wearer's abdomen side than the part and a back portion arranged on the wearer's back side rather than the crotch portion and absorbs and retains body fluids. a body, a surface sheet arranged on the side facing the skin of the absorbent body, a pair of leak-proof cuffs arranged to cover both sides of the surface sheet along the longitudinal direction and extending in the longitudinal direction; a pair of side flap portions extending outward in the lateral direction from each side edge along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body, wherein the side flap portions are provided with side elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction; It is a sexual item.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, the side flap part comprises a skin-side hydrophobic sheet fixed to the topsheet and a non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body. and having a hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion in which both hydrophobic sheets are opposed to each other, the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion extending in the longitudinal direction over the entire longitudinal length of the absorbent article. ing.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, the sealing portion in which the skin-side hydrophobic sheet and the non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet are joined to the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion includes the It is continuous in the longitudinal direction over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and the side elastic member is arranged in the sealing portion so as to be stretchable in the longitudinal direction over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, at least in the ventral portion and the dorsal portion, the topsheet is provided with a plurality of through-holes penetrating the topsheet in the thickness direction, and the absorption A plurality of transverse grooves extending in the transverse direction are interspersed in the elastic core.
Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are described below.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the absorbent article which is excellent in appearance, fitting property, and side leakage prevention performance is provided.

FIG. 1 is a developed plan view schematically showing the skin-facing surface side (top sheet side) of the spreadable disposable diaper, which is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, in the spread and maximum stretched state. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along the line II of FIG. 1 (a cross section along the thickness direction of the crotch portion). FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction of the surface sheet and the absorbent core, which are essential parts of the diaper shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. , and FIG. 3(b) shows the natural state or worn state of the diaper.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on its preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are given to the same or similar parts. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratio of each dimension may differ from the actual one.

1 and 2 show a disposable diaper 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "diaper 1") which is an embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. The diaper 1 has a longitudinal direction X corresponding to the front-rear direction of the wearer, that is, a direction extending from the abdominal side to the back side through the crotch portion, and a lateral direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. A crotch part M including an excretory part facing part (not shown) facing an excretion part such as a penis, and an abdominal part F arranged on the wearer's ventral side (front side) than the crotch part M and a dorsal portion R arranged on the back side (rear side) of the wearer from the crotch portion M.

In this embodiment, the diaper 1 is formed symmetrically on one side and the other side with respect to the lateral center line CLy in the unfolded and maximum stretched state.
The abdomen portion F is part of the front body of the diaper 1 , and the back portion R is part of the back body of the diaper 1 . The crotch part M straddles the longitudinal center line CLx in the longitudinal direction X and exists over both the front body and the back body of the diaper 1 .
In the present invention, the abdominal portion F, the crotch portion M, and the back portion R can be regions when the diaper 1 in the unfolded and maximum stretched state is divided into three equal parts in the longitudinal direction X.
The horizontal center line CLy is an imaginary straight line that extends in the vertical direction X and bisects the diaper 1 in the unfolded and maximum stretched state in the horizontal direction Y. As shown in FIG. Further, the vertical center line CLx is an imaginary straight line extending in the horizontal direction Y by halving the diaper 1 in the unfolded and maximum stretched state in the vertical direction X. As shown in FIG.

As used herein, the term "unfolded and maximally stretched state" means that the object (absorbent article, etc.) is spread into a flat state to be in the unfolded state, and the elastic members of each part of the object in the unfolded state are stretched to the maximum, It refers to the design dimension, that is, the state in which it is expanded to the dimension when it is expanded in a plane state in which the influence of the elastic member is completely eliminated. In the case where the object is an absorbent article having side seal portions, the absorbent article is separated at the side seal portions and spread flat to form the unfolded state.

The diaper 1 includes an absorbent body 5 including an absorbent core 50 that absorbs and retains body fluids such as urine, a topsheet 3 disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 5, and both sides of the topsheet 3 along the longitudinal direction X. A pair of leak-proof cuffs 7, 7 extending in the longitudinal direction X arranged to cover the part and extending outward in the lateral direction Y from both side edges 5S, 5S along the longitudinal direction X of the absorbent body 5, respectively. A pair of side flap portions 20 , 20 are provided, and a side elastic member 8 extending in the longitudinal direction X is arranged on the side flap portion 20 .

The diaper 1 of this embodiment is a so-called unfolded disposable diaper, and as shown in FIG. The fastening member 21 can be fastened to the non-skin facing surface of the sheet (in this embodiment, the exterior sheet 6) forming the non-skin facing surface of the abdominal portion F of the diaper 1. A fastening region (not shown) is provided.

As used herein, the term “skin-facing surface” refers to the surface of an absorbent article or its component (for example, an absorbent body) that faces the wearer's skin when the absorbent article is worn, that is, the surface that faces the wearer's skin. The "non-skin facing surface" is the side of the absorbent article or its constituent members that faces away from the skin when the absorbent article is worn, i.e., the side that is relatively far from the wearer's skin. on the side. It should be noted that the term "when worn" as used herein means a state in which the absorbent article is maintained in a normal and appropriate wearing position, that is, in a correct wearing position of the absorbent article.

In this embodiment, the diaper 1 has an absorbent main body 2 , and the absorbent main body 2 includes a topsheet 3 and an absorbent body 5 . As shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent main body 2 further comprises a backsheet 4 arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 5 and an exterior sheet 6 arranged on the non-skin facing side of the backsheet 4. include. The absorbent main body 2 (absorbent body 5) extends in the longitudinal direction X from the ventral portion F to the dorsal portion R, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG. The top sheet 3 forms the skin-facing surface (inner surface) of the diaper 1 together with the cuff sheet 70 described later, and the exterior sheet 6 forms the non-skin-facing surface (outer surface) of the diaper 1 . Each constituent member of the absorbent main body 2 is joined together by a known joining means such as an adhesive.

As the constituent members of the absorbent main body 2, those commonly used in absorbent articles of this type may be used without particular limitation, on the premise that if the member is explained later, the explanation can be applied. can be done.
As the surface sheet 3, various liquid-permeable sheets can be used, such as nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, and paper. The surface sheet 3 may have a single-layer structure or a laminated structure. The surface sheet 3 may have unevenness on the surface facing the skin. The topsheet 3 is typically hydrophilic.
As the back sheet 4, a sheet having a leakproof property, specifically, a liquid impermeable (a property that does not allow liquid to pass at all) or a liquid impermeable (although it cannot be said to be liquid impermeable, it is difficult for liquid to pass through). properties), and examples thereof include a moisture-permeable resin film and a laminate of the resin film and a nonwoven fabric. Backsheet 4 is typically hydrophobic.
As shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent body 5 includes an absorbent core 50 mainly made of a water-absorbing material and a core wrap sheet 51 covering the outer surface (skin-facing surface and non-skin-facing surface) of the absorbent core 50. include. As the water-absorbent material, one or more selected from fibrous materials such as wood pulp and water-absorbent polymers are typically used. The absorbent core 50 may be, for example, a fiber-stacked type in which an aggregate of fibrous materials is the main body, and water-absorbent polymer particles are carried on the aggregate as necessary, and the water-absorbent polymer particles are provided inside or on the surface of the fiber sheet. It may be of fixed sheet type. The sheet type is thinner and more flexible than the stacked type. The core wrap sheet 51 has liquid permeability and is typically made of paper, nonwoven fabric, or the like. The absorbent body 5 may be composed only of the absorbent core 50 without including the core wrap sheet 51 .
As the exterior sheet 6, a sheet having good texture is preferable, and various non-woven fabrics are preferably used from this viewpoint. It should be noted that the absorbent article of the present invention does not have to be provided with the exterior sheet 6 .

The leak-proof cuff 7 includes a hydrophobic cuff sheet 70 forming the main body of the leak-proof cuff 7 . The leak-proof cuff 7 (cuff sheet 70) is continuous in the longitudinal direction X over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X, as shown in FIG. Both side portions along the longitudinal direction X of the skin-facing surface of the diaper 1 are respectively formed by cuff sheets 70 . As the cuff sheet 70, any material that can be used as a material for leak-proof cuffs in this type of absorbent article can be used without particular limitation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cuff sheet 70 has a fixing portion 71 fixed to other members (the top sheet 3 and the back sheet 4 in this embodiment) at least in the crotch portion M and on the outer side in the lateral direction Y; The inner side in the lateral direction Y has a region that is a free portion 72 that is not fixed to another member (hereinafter also referred to as "upright region"). The free portion 72 of the cuff sheet 70 is movable in a direction away from the top sheet 3 with the innermost portion of the fixing portion 71 in the lateral direction Y serving as a base end portion 71P.
More specifically, cuff elastic members 73 are arranged in the longitudinal direction at the inner edge in the lateral direction Y of the free portion 72 of the cuff sheet 70 (the inner edge along the longitudinal direction X of the cuff sheet 70). It is arranged so that it can expand and contract in the same direction by being fixed to X in an expanded state. Further, in the present embodiment, the standing regions are located in the crotch portion M and the portions near the crotch portion M of the abdominal side portion F and the back side portion R, and both ends of the leakage prevention cuff 7 in the longitudinal direction X are free. It is a standing-up inhibiting portion in which the standing-up of the portion 72 is inhibited. That is, the upright regions of the cuff sheet 70 are sandwiched between the upright inhibiting portions located at both ends of the cuff sheet 70 in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG. The erection inhibiting portion is typically formed by fixing the cuff sheet 70 to the skin-facing surface (top sheet 3) of the absorbent body 2 by a known bonding means such as adhesive or fusion. be. Then, when the diaper 1 is worn, the free portion 72 of the cuff sheet 70 is caused by the contractile force of the cuff elastic member 73 to rise toward the wearer's skin in the upright region of the leak-proof cuff 7 with the base end portion 71P as a starting point. (move away from the topsheet 3). As a result, outflow of excrement such as urine to the outside in the lateral direction Y is prevented. In the illustrated embodiment, two cuff elastic members 73 are arranged in the free portion 72, but the number of cuff elastic members arranged is not particularly limited, and may be one or three or more. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the base end portion 71P is located outside the absorber 5 in the lateral direction Y, but may overlap the absorber 5 in a plan view. 2, the leak-preventing cuff 7 is shown in an upright state for convenience of explanation. It doesn't mean that

In this embodiment, the diaper 1 has a flap part located outside the peripheral edge of the absorbent body 5 . The flap portion is composed of members arranged to straddle the periphery of the absorbent body 5, and includes a top sheet 3, a back sheet 4, an exterior sheet 6, and a cuff sheet 70 in this embodiment. In addition to these sheets 3, 4, 6, and 70, the flap portion further includes an abdominal end sheet 22 at the end in the longitudinal direction X on the abdominal side F side of the diaper 1, as shown in FIG. , and in addition to these sheets 3 , 4 , 6 , 70 , a dorsal end sheet 23 is further included at the end of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X on the dorsal side R side. Both sheets 22 and 23 are respectively adopted for the purpose of reinforcing the diaper 1, preventing leaks, and fixing an elastic member such as a waist elastic member 9 to be described later. and the absorbent body 5 (core wrap sheet 51). Both sheets 22 and 23 are hydrophobic and each can be used as the backsheet 4 . A plurality of members forming the flap portion are joined together by a known joining means such as an adhesive, heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or the like. Both sheets 22 and 23 may be omitted.
In the flap portion, the side flap portions 20 are positioned outside in the horizontal direction Y from the side edges 5S, 5S of the absorbent body 5 and the imaginary extension lines of the side edges 5S. The side flap portion 20 extends over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the side flap portion 20 has a constricted portion in the central region in the longitudinal direction X (the region located at the crotch portion M). It is a part (leg-surrounding part) arranged around the leg of the wearer.

The side flap part 20 includes a skin-side hydrophobic sheet fixed to the surface sheet 3 and a non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 5, and both hydrophobic sheets face each other. It has a hydrophobic sheet overlap 24 disposed thereon. The hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24 extends in the longitudinal direction X over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the skin-side hydrophobic sheets are the cuff sheet 70, the ventral-side end sheet 22, and the back-side end sheet 23, and the non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet is the back sheet 4. All of these sheets 4, 22, 23, 70 are hydrophobic.
In addition, in this embodiment, the combination of sheets forming the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24 is partially different. That is, in the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24, the end portion of the diaper 1 in the lateral direction Y (the side edge portion along the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1) is It is composed of the cuff sheet 70 and the back sheet 4 , and the ventral side end sheet 22 and the back sheet 4 constitute the rest including the sealing portion 10 to be described later. In addition, at the longitudinal direction X end of the diaper 1 on the back side R side, the transverse direction Y end of the diaper 1 is composed of the cuff sheet 70 and the back sheet 4 , and includes the sealing portion 10 . The remaining part is composed of the back side end sheet 23 and the back sheet 4. - 特許庁2, the other parts (the crotch part M and the parts near the crotch part M of the ventral part F and the back part R) are composed of the cuff sheet 70 and the back sheet 4, as shown in FIG. ing.
In the present invention, the combination of sheets constituting the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24 may be the same over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X. As an example of the combination in that case, the cuff sheet 70 and the back sheet A combination with 4 can be mentioned.

In the present invention, the term "hydrophobicity" refers to the contact angle of fibers constituting a sheet (fiber layer) measured by the following method. If the contact angle exceeds 90 degrees, the sheet is hydrophobic. If the contact angle is 90 degrees or less, the sheet is hydrophilic. The term "contact angle" as used herein refers to a contact angle measured by the method described below, unless otherwise specified.
Therefore, the contact angles of the sheets 4, 22, 23 and 70, which are the hydrophobic sheets on the skin side or the hydrophobic sheets on the non-skin side, are all over 90 degrees. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the topsheet 3 is hydrophilic, the contact angle of the topsheet 3 is 90 degrees or less. On the assumption that both the skin-side hydrophobic sheet and the non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet are hydrophobic, the contact angles measured by the following method may be the same or different.

<Method for measuring contact angle>
A fiber is taken out from the sheet to be measured, and the contact angle of water with respect to the fiber is measured. Scissors and tweezers are used to take out the fibers, and the areas where the fibers are taken out from the sheet to be measured are both sides of the sheet (both surface layers) and the part sandwiched between them (the central part in the thickness direction). As a measuring device, an automatic contact angle meter MCA-J manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd. is used. Deionized water is used for contact angle measurements. The amount of liquid ejected from an ink-jet type water droplet ejector (a pulse injector CTC-25 with an ejector hole diameter of 25 μm, manufactured by Cluster Technology) is set to 20 picoliters, and water droplets are dropped just above the fibers. The state of dripping is recorded on a high-speed recording device connected to a camera placed horizontally. From the viewpoint of image analysis later, the recording device is preferably a personal computer with a built-in high-speed capture device. In this measurement, an image is recorded every 17 msec. In the recorded image, the first image of water droplets landing on the fiber is captured by the attached software FAMAS (software version is 2.6.2, measurement method is droplet method, analysis method is θ / 2 method, image processing algorithm is non-reflective, the image processing image mode is frame, the threshold level is 200, and curvature correction is not performed). angle. The fibers taken out from the sheet to be measured are cut into a length of 1 mm, and the fibers are placed on a sample stand of a contact angle meter and maintained horizontally. Two different contact angles are measured for each fiber. N = 5 contact angles are measured to the first decimal place, and the average value of the measured values of a total of 10 points (rounded to the second decimal place) is defined as the contact angle of the fiber with water. The measurement environment is a room temperature of 22±2° C. and a humidity of 65±2% RH. The smaller the contact angle value, the higher the hydrophilicity.
In addition, when the sheet to be measured in the absorbent article is joined to other members by adhesives, fusion, etc., the joints should be subjected to a cold spray within a range that does not affect the contact angle of the fibers. Remove the adhesive strength by blowing cold air, etc., and then take it out. This method of taking out a disposable diaper to be measured can also be used for other measurements.

In this embodiment, a plurality of waist elastic members 9 are arranged so as to be stretchable in the horizontal direction Y at the flap portion at the end portion in the longitudinal direction X (dorsal waist end portion) on the back side portion R side of the diaper 1 . , the plurality of waist elastic members 9 are intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction X. The waist elastic member 9 is fixed to the dorsal end sheet 23 with an adhesive while being stretched in the lateral direction Y. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the diaper 1 is worn, waist gathers are formed in a portion of the diaper 1 around the waist of the wearer due to contraction of the elastic member 9 around the waist, and the diaper 1 can be brought into close contact with the waist of the wearer. A waist elastic member may also be arranged on the flap portion at the end in the longitudinal direction X (abdominal waist end) on the abdominal portion F side of the diaper 1, similarly to the dorsal portion R side.

As one of the main characteristics of the diaper 1, as shown in FIGS. Alternatively, there is a sealing portion 10 in which the back side end sheet 23) and the non-skin side hydrophobic sheet (back sheet 4 in this embodiment) are joined, and the sealing portion 10 is in the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1. It is mentioned that it is continuous in the longitudinal direction X over the entire length. A side elastic member 8 is arranged in the sealing portion 10 so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction X over the entire length of the sealing portion 10 in the vertical direction X. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 1 , the colored portion extending in the vertical direction X overlapping the side elastic member 8 is the sealing portion 10 .

In the present embodiment, the sealing portion 10 is positioned outward in the horizontal direction Y from the base end portion 71P of the leakage prevention cuff 7, and has a rectangular shape elongated in the vertical direction X in plan view. The length (width) of the sealing portion 10 in the horizontal direction Y is longer than the width of the arrangement region of the side elastic members 8 overlapping the sealing portion 10 , and the entire region of the arrangement region of the side elastic members 8 is the sealing portion 10 . overlaps with Here, the term "arrangement area of the side elastic member 8" refers to an area overlapping the one side elastic member 8 in a plan view when the number of the side elastic members 8 is one. In the case where there are a plurality of elastic members 8, the region (both side elastic members 8 , 8).

The means for joining the skin-side hydrophobic sheet and the non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet in the sealing portion 10 is not particularly limited, and may be an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive, fusion bonding, or the like. Bonding of both hydrophobic sheets by fusion bonding is performed, for example, by pressing both hydrophobic sheets (specifically, for example, the cuff sheet 70 and the back sheet 4) in a state of being superimposed and pressing them in the thickness direction. It can be carried out by performing a forming material melting treatment such as heat treatment or ultrasonic treatment. Fusion is particularly effective when at least one of the two hydrophobic sheets is mainly made of resin such as thermoplastic resin. Typically, the means for joining the two hydrophobic sheets in the sealing portion 10 is the same as the means for fixing the side elastic members 8 to the two hydrophobic sheets in the sealing portion 10, both of which are adhesives.

The side elastic member 8 is located outside the base end portion 71P of the leak-proof cuff 7 in the horizontal direction Y in the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24 of the side flap portion 20, and is attached to the skin side hydrophobic sheet (cuff in this embodiment). 70, the ventral side end sheet 22 or the dorsal side end sheet 23) and the non-skin side hydrophobic sheet (the back sheet 4 in this embodiment). Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the side elastic members 8 are arranged in the vicinity of the side edges along the vertical direction X of the constricted portion (around the leg) in the central region of the side flap portion 20 in the vertical direction X, more specifically, Passing through the vicinity of the side edge along the longitudinal direction X of the portion where the length (width) in the lateral direction Y of the diaper 1 is the shortest (specifically, the area within 30 mm inward in the lateral direction Y from the side edge) extending in the longitudinal direction X. The side elastic member 8 is fixed between the two hydrophobic sheets with an adhesive while extending over the entire length of the sealing portion 10 in the longitudinal direction X, that is, the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X. When the diaper 1 is put on, side gathers are formed over the entire length of the side flap portions 20 in the longitudinal direction X due to contraction of the side elastic members 8. It can function as a leg gather arranged around a person's leg (thigh).
In this embodiment, two side elastic members 8 are arranged in each of the pair of side flap portions 20, 20, but the number of side elastic members 8 arranged in the side flap portion 20 is not particularly limited, and even one piece is three. It can be more than a book.
In this embodiment, the side elastic members 8 extend parallel to the longitudinal direction X (the direction of extension coincides with the longitudinal direction X). , may be curved along the constricted portion in the central region in the longitudinal direction X of the side flap portion 20 . In the present invention, it can be said that the side elastic member 8 is arranged so as to be able to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction X if the angle formed by the extending direction of the side elastic member 8 and the longitudinal direction X is 45 degrees or less.
The shape of each elastic member 8, 9, 73 described above is not particularly limited. can be used.

As described above, in an absorbent article provided with a leak-preventing cuff, the proximal end of the leak-preventing cuff in the longitudinal central region (crotch region) of the absorbent article may Excrement such as urine tends to accumulate in the cuff, and the accumulated excrement is diffused and absorbed in the longitudinal direction through other members such as a surface sheet connected to the leak-proof cuff at the base end. There is a problem that it causes side leakage at the longitudinal edges of the article. Therefore, in the diaper 1 as well, excrement accumulates in the proximal end portion 71P of the leak-proof cuff 7, and the collected excrement diffuses in the longitudinal direction X through the topsheet 3, and spreads in the ventral portion F and the dorsal portion R. There is concern that side leakage may occur.
However, in the diaper 1, as described above, the sealing portion 10, in which the two hydrophobic sheets forming the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24 of the side flap portion 20 are joined, extends over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X. Since it is continuous in the longitudinal direction X, lateral leakage is less likely to occur in the entire longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1 . From the viewpoint of ensuring the side leakage prevention effect of the sealing portion 10, the sealing portion 10 is positioned outward in the lateral direction Y from the base end portion 71P of the leakage preventing cuff 7. is preferred.
It should be noted that the “sealed portion 10 is continuous in the longitudinal direction X” referred to here includes a completely continuous form in which there is no discontinuous portion in the sealed part 10 over the entire length of the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1, and a sealed state. A configuration in which the portion 10 is substantially continuous over the entire length of the diaper 1 in the longitudinal direction X is also included. Even in the latter form, side leakage can be effectively prevented. In the latter form, the length of the discontinuous portion in the longitudinal direction X is preferably 5 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or less.

In addition, since the side elastic members 8 are stretchably arranged in the sealing portion 10 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction X, the formation of the sealing portion 10 and the fixing of the side elastic members 8 can be efficiently performed when the diaper 1 is manufactured. can be implemented. That is, for example, at the time of manufacturing the diaper 1, first, an adhesive is applied to a portion where the side elastic member 8 is to be arranged on one or both of the two hydrophobic sheets forming the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 24, and then, After arranging the side elastic member 8 in the stretched state on the adhesive applied portion, the two hydrophobic sheets are overlapped and joined to the adhesive applied portion, and the stretched state of the side elastic member 8 is released. , the formation of the sealing portion 10 and the fixing of the side elastic members 8 can be performed substantially simultaneously, and the diaper 1 can be manufactured efficiently.

The side leakage prevention performance of absorbent articles can be evaluated by the following method. Various technical findings described in this specification were obtained by appropriately using the following method for evaluating side leakage prevention performance.
<Method for evaluating side leakage prevention performance>
The absorbent article to be evaluated is spread flat and fixed to a fixing plate (for example, an acrylic resin plate) having a smooth surface. At this time, the absorbent article is fixed so that the skin-facing surface (topsheet side) of the absorbent article is exposed and the non-skin-facing surface faces the fixing plate. The fixing plate to which the absorbent article is fixed is tilted 45 degrees around the horizontal center line of the absorbent article (imaginary straight line corresponding to the horizontal center line CLy of the diaper 1) with the fixing surface of the absorbent article as the upper surface. Then, the upper surface is made an inclined surface with an inclination angle of 45 degrees, and the fixed plate is fixed in that state. Then, 30 g of a physiological saline solution (0.9 mass % saline solution) colored with a dye is injected into the center of the skin-facing surface of the absorbent article at an injection speed of 5 g/sec. After 5 minutes have passed since the start of injection of the physiological saline, 30 g of the physiological saline is injected into the absorbent article in the same manner as described above. After performing such a physiological saline injection operation three times (that is, a total of 90 g of physiological saline is injected), the side located on the lower side of the inclined surface among both sides along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article Visually observe the part, and evaluate the degree of retention of physiological saline at the proximal end of the leak-proof cuff, presence or absence of side leakage, etc.

By the way, the pair of side flap portions 20 , 20 is formed with the sealing portion 10 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1 , and the side elastic member 8 is formed in the sealing portion 10 in the longitudinal direction X of the sealing portion 10 . , the absorbent main body 2, which is a portion sandwiched between the pair of sealing portions 10, 10 of the diaper 1, is sealed in the natural state or worn state of the diaper 1. It shrinks in the longitudinal direction X more than the stop portion 10, and as a result, wrinkles are generated in the entire constituent members of the absorbent body 2, such as the surface sheet 3 and the absorbent body 5, and the fit of the diaper 1 to the wearer's body is reduced. , leakproofness, appearance, and other properties may be degraded. However, in the diaper 1, by devising the surface sheet 3 and the absorbent core 50, such concerns are eliminated. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the diaper 1 has a plurality of through-holes 30 scattered through the topsheet 3 in at least the abdominal portion F and the back portion R in the thickness direction. In addition, the absorbent core 50 is characterized in that a plurality of lateral grooves 52Y extending in the lateral direction Y are intermittently arranged in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG.

As described above, wrinkles caused by the side elastic members 8 and the sealing portions 10 are particularly concerned about the abdominal side portion F and the dorsal side portion R including both ends in the longitudinal direction X of the diaper 1. By forming a plurality of through-holes 30 or lateral grooves 52Y in the surface sheet 3 and the absorbent core 50, which are members that are particularly likely to be affected, the surface sheet 3 and the absorbent core 50 may be affected by contraction of the side elastic members 8. Since the number or height of wrinkles is reduced, the side elastic member 8 and the sealing portion 10 are effective (prevention of side leakage), and various aspects of the diaper 1 such as fit, leakage prevention, and appearance are improved. It becomes possible to maintain the characteristics at a practically sufficient level.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, not only in the ventral portion F and the back portion R but also in the crotch portion M, a plurality of through holes 30 are scattered in the surface sheet 3, and the absorbent core 50 has lateral groove portions 52Y. are scattered in multiple places. More specifically, the surface sheet 3 has a plurality of through-holes 30 that are circular in plan view and scattered over at least the entire region overlapping the absorber 5 in plan view. Further, on the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 50, a plurality of lateral grooves 52Y linear in plan view are intermittently arranged in the vertical direction X from the ventral part F to the dorsal part R. A plurality of vertical grooves 52X linear in plan view extending from the dorsal side R are intermittently arranged in the horizontal direction Y, and these plurality of grooves 52Y and 52X are orthogonal to each other to form a grid-like groove in plan view. there is Both grooves 52Y and 52X have openings on the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 50, and have bottoms on the opposite side of the openings (closer to the topsheet 3). Note that the vertical groove portion 52X may be omitted.

From the viewpoint of ensuring that the through holes 30 of the topsheet 3 and the lateral grooves 52Y of the absorbent core 50 exert the wrinkle-suppressing effect more reliably, the diaper 1, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the through-hole 30 and the lateral groove portion 52Y overlap each other, that is, when the lateral groove portion 52Y is virtually extended in the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3(a)), the lateral groove portion It is preferable that the virtual extension region of 52Y and the through hole 30 overlap. As a result, the number or height of wrinkles generated in the topsheet 3 and the absorbent core 50 is further reduced in the diaper 1 in its natural state or in its worn state (in the contracted state of the side elastic members 8) as shown in FIG. 3(b). obtain. In addition, in FIG. 3, description of members other than the surface sheet 3 and the absorbent core 50 is omitted from the viewpoint of facilitating explanation.
In FIG. 3(a), all of the lateral grooves 52Y present in the absorbent core 50 partially overlap the through-holes 30, but this need not necessarily be the case. If two through-holes 30 overlap each other, the effect of suppressing wrinkles can be improved compared to the case where the lateral groove portion 52Y and the through-holes 30 do not overlap at all. However, usually, the wrinkle suppressing effect tends to improve as the amount of overlap between the lateral groove portion 52Y and the through hole 30 increases.

The pattern of the through-holes 30 in the surface sheet 3 (the shape and arrangement of the through-holes 30 in a plan view) is not particularly limited, and any pattern can be appropriately selected without departing from the gist of the present invention.
The plan view shape of the through hole 30 may be, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a polygon with more than a quadrangle. The maximum spanning length of the through-holes 30 (the diameter if the through-holes 30 are circular in plan view) is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of the balance between ensuring the basic performance of the top sheet 3 and the aforementioned wrinkle-suppressing effect, it is preferably It is 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, and preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 6 mm or less.
The arrangement of the through-holes 30 may be, for example, a zigzag arrangement or a lattice arrangement. The term “staggered arrangement” as used herein means that a row in which a plurality of through holes 30 are arranged at equal intervals in one direction (for example, the vertical direction X) is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the one direction (for example, the horizontal direction Y). It refers to an arrangement in which the through-holes 30 are arranged in a plurality of rows and the through-holes 30 are shifted between two adjacent rows in the direction orthogonal to the one direction. Further, the term “lattice arrangement” as used herein means that a row in which a plurality of through holes 30 are arranged at equal intervals in one direction (for example, the vertical direction X) is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the one direction (for example, the horizontal direction Y). ), and the through-holes 30 are not displaced between two adjacent rows in the direction orthogonal to the one direction.

The lateral groove portion 52Y in the absorbent core 50 is not limited to a so-called concave portion (groove-shaped concave portion) that is always open, and may be a cut (slit) whose opening is difficult to visually confirm in the natural state of the absorbent core 50 . Moreover, the lateral groove portion 52Y may be formed on either the skin-facing surface or the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 50 . Further, in the present embodiment, the lateral groove portion 52Y has a linear shape parallel to the lateral direction Y, but may be curved. In the present invention, it can be said that the lateral groove portion 52Y extends in the longitudinal direction Y if the angle formed by the extending direction of the lateral groove portion 52Y and the lateral direction Y is 45 degrees or less.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 as described above, the absorbent body 5 includes a core wrap sheet 51 covering the skin-facing surface and the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 50. 50 and the core wrap sheet 51 are joined by an adhesive, the adhesive is intermittent in the longitudinal direction X on at least one of the skin-facing surface and the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core 50, more preferably both. It is preferably coated Such a configuration can further reduce the number or height of wrinkles that occur in the absorbent core 50 as the side elastic members 8 contract. Specific examples of the intermittent application pattern of the adhesive in the vertical direction X include a spiral pattern and a striped pattern extending in the horizontal direction Y.

The absorbent article of the present invention is not limited to an unfoldable disposable diaper as in the above embodiment, but broadly includes articles used for absorbing bodily fluids (urine, menstrual blood, loose stools, sweat, etc.) excreted from the human body, Also included are pants-type disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, sanitary shorts, etc. that do not have a fastening structure such as the fastening member 21 .

Although the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the absorbent article of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. All the parts that only one embodiment has as described above can be used interchangeably as appropriate.
For example, the leak-proof cuff 7 may not include the cuff elastic member 73 . That is, the leak-proof cuffs 7 do not have to stand up against the wearer's skin by contraction of the elastic member arranged on the cuff sheet 70 .

1 Disposable diaper (absorbent article)
2 Absorbent main body 20 Side flap part 22 Abdominal end sheet (skin side hydrophobic sheet)
23 Dorsal edge sheet (skin-side hydrophobic sheet)
24 Hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion 3 Top sheet 30 Through hole 4 Back sheet (non-skin side hydrophobic sheet)
5 Absorber 50 Absorbent core 51 Core wrap sheet 52X Vertical groove 52Y Lateral groove 7 Leak-proof cuff 70 Cuff sheet (skin-side hydrophobic sheet)
8 Side elastic member 10 Sealing portion F Abdominal portion M Crotch portion R Back portion X Vertical direction Y Horizontal direction

Claims (3)

It has a longitudinal direction extending from the wearer's abdomen to the dorsal side through the crotch part and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and has a crotch part arranged in the crotch part when worn, and a crotch part that is worn more than the crotch part. an absorbent body comprising an absorbent core that absorbs and retains bodily fluids, the absorbent body having an abdominal portion arranged on the abdominal side of the wearer and a dorsal portion arranged on the back side of the wearer with respect to the crotch portion; A surface sheet arranged on the skin-facing side of an absorbent body, a pair of longitudinally extending leakage-preventing cuffs arranged so as to cover both sides of the surface sheet along the longitudinal direction, and the absorbent body. An absorbent article comprising a pair of side flap portions extending outward in the horizontal direction from each of the side edges along the longitudinal direction, wherein side elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction are arranged in the side flap portions. hand,
The side flap portion includes a skin-side hydrophobic sheet fixed to the surface sheet and a non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body, and both hydrophobic sheets face each other. a hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion disposed, the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion extending in the longitudinal direction over the entire longitudinal length of the absorbent article;
A sealing portion in which the skin-side hydrophobic sheet and the non-skin-side hydrophobic sheet are joined to the hydrophobic sheet overlapping portion is continuous in the vertical direction over the entire length of the absorbent article in the vertical direction. wherein the side elastic member is arranged in the sealing portion so as to be stretchable in the vertical direction over the entire length of the sealing portion in the vertical direction,
In at least the ventral portion and the dorsal portion, the surface sheet is provided with a plurality of through-holes that pass through the surface sheet in the thickness direction, and the absorbent core is provided with lateral grooves extending in the lateral direction. A plurality of interspersed absorbent articles. 2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said through-holes and said lateral groove portions overlap each other in the unfolded and maximum stretched state of said absorbent article. The absorbent body includes a core wrap sheet covering the skin-facing surface and the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core, and the absorbent core and the core wrap sheet are joined by an adhesive,
3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is intermittently applied in the longitudinal direction on at least one of the skin-facing surface and the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent core.

Images