JP2023095512A - absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article excellent in fitness property for a wearer's body.SOLUTION: An absorber 4 has a vertical recess 7 which recesses from a skin facing surface to a non-skin facing surface and extends in a vertical direction X. The vertical recess 7 includes a first vertical recess 71 positioned in a rear area R and a second vertical recess 72 positioned in an excretion part facing area M. A gap W71 in a horizontal direction Y between a pair of first vertical recesses 71, 71 gradually becomes shorter as they go backward in the vertical direction X along the vertical direction X and has a shortest interval that is not zero at a rear end 71R in the vertical direction of the first recess 71. Length W4 in the horizontal direction Y of a part at the same position in the vertical direction X as the rear end 71R in the vertical direction of the first vertical recess 71 in the absorber 4 is shorter than a maximum length in the horizontal direction Y of the absorber 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an absorbent article that is worn in the crotch area and used to absorb excrement.

An absorbent article for women typified by a sanitary napkin includes an absorbent body for absorbing and retaining excrement such as menstrual blood, and an absorbent body extending outward from the outer edge of the absorbent body to form the contour of the absorbent article. A flap part is provided, and the surface sheet forming the skin-facing surface and the absorbent body have recessed portions integrally recessed toward the non-skin-facing surface. The recessed portion is typically formed by subjecting the skin-facing surface of the absorbent article to a pressing process, and is also called a pressed portion. The purpose of the recessed portion is to control the movement of excrement on the skin-facing surface of the absorbent article to prevent leakage, to induce appropriate deformation of the absorbent body when the absorbent article is worn, and to enhance fit. , and various shapes have been proposed according to the purpose. For example, in the urine absorbing pad described in Patent Literature 1, embossments (recesses) that can prevent leakage of low-viscosity excrement such as urine are formed on the front and back regions in the longitudinal direction and both ends in the lateral direction of the absorbent article. , which includes multiple pairs of linear embossments provided on the . The term "longitudinal direction" as used herein refers to the direction corresponding to the front-rear direction of the wearer of the absorbent article, and the term "lateral direction" refers to the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

Patent Literature 2 describes an absorbent article in which a plurality of pairs of linear recessed portions extending in the longitudinal direction are arranged on the skin-facing surface from the central region to the rear region in the longitudinal direction. The lateral spacing between one recess and the other in each of these pairs of recesses tapers longitudinally rearward, and the recesses are joined together at their longitudinal rear ends. ing. The absorbent article described in Patent Literature 2 is said to have improved fit in the wearer's buttocks behind the excretory opening, and to be able to suppress backward leakage of menstrual blood and the like.

In Patent Document 3, as an absorbent article capable of relieving irritation to the skin in the vicinity of the sacrum of the wearer, an absorbent article is provided in the longitudinal rear region, in which the absorber extends laterally outward from both longitudinal side edges of the absorber. It is described having a pair of hip flaps and a pair of laterally spaced rear compressions on the skin facing surface of the rear region. The pair of rear compression parts are positioned longitudinally rearward of the position of the maximum width of the hip flap, and the horizontal distance between one rear compression part and the other rear compression part is in the vertical direction. It gradually increases toward the rear.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-181080 JP 2014-223215 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-328

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that fits well to the wearer's body.

The present invention includes an absorbent body capable of absorbing and holding body fluids, has a vertical direction corresponding to the front-rear direction of the wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is arranged to face the wearer's excretory part when worn. Absorbent, having an excretory part-facing region, a front region arranged in front of the excretory part-facing region in the longitudinal direction, and a rear region arranged behind the excretory part-facing region in the longitudinal direction It is an article.
One embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention includes flap portions extending outwardly from the outer edge of the absorbent body to define the contour of the absorbent article.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, the absorbent body has a vertical recess recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the vertical direction, and the vertical recess is at least A first vertical recess located in the rear region and a second vertical recess located in at least the excretory part facing region are included, and both vertical recesses respectively extend the absorbent article in the lateral direction. A pair exists on both sides of the horizontal center line extending virtually in the vertical direction.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, the lateral interval between the pair of first vertical recesses is gradually shortened along the longitudinal direction toward the rear in the longitudinal direction. , has a non-zero shortest distance at the longitudinal trailing edge of the first longitudinal recess.
In one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention, the length in the horizontal direction of the portion of the absorbent body that is at the same position in the vertical direction as the rear end of the first vertical recess in the vertical direction is the length of the absorbent body. is shorter than the maximum lateral length of the
Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are described below.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the absorbent article excellent in the fitting property with respect to a wearer's body is provided. The absorbent article of the present invention easily fits into the groove of the wearer's buttocks (gluteal cleft), does not easily cause the wearer to feel discomfort (feeling that the absorbent article does not correspond to the movement of the body), and is resistant to wear. Excellent leak resistance.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the side facing the skin of a sanitary napkin that is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cross section along line II in FIG. 1 (a cross section along the thickness direction and lateral direction of the sanitary napkin). Fig. 3(a) is a schematic plan view of the back region of the sanitary napkin shown in Fig. 1 on the side facing the skin, and Fig. 3(b) is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 3(a). FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sanitary napkin shown in FIG. 1 taken along the thickness direction and the lateral direction when the sanitary napkin is worn.

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 to 3 show a sanitary napkin 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "napkin 1") which is one embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention. The napkin 1 corresponds to the front and back direction of the wearer, and has a longitudinal direction X extending from the front side (abdominal side) of the wearer to the rear side (dorsal side) through the crotch part, and a lateral direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X. have.
In the present invention, the term "longitudinal direction forward" refers to a position in the longitudinal direction (wearer's ventral side) relative to the reference position, and the term "vertical direction rearward" refers to the position in the longitudinal direction relative to the reference position. Refers to the position on the back side (dorsal side of the wearer).

In this embodiment, the napkin 1 has a shape elongated in the vertical direction X as shown in FIG.
In addition, in this embodiment, the napkin 1 is formed symmetrically on one side and the other side across the horizontal center line CLy. The horizontal center line CLy is an imaginary straight line extending in the vertical direction X by bisecting the unfolded napkin 1 in the horizontal direction Y as shown in FIG.

The napkin 1 includes an absorbent body 4 capable of absorbing and retaining bodily fluids (menstrual blood, urine, feces, sweat, etc.). In addition to this, the napkin 1 preferably further comprises a liquid-permeable topsheet 2 that can come into contact with the wearer's skin, and a leakproof backsheet 3 . In this case, the absorber 4 is arranged between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 as shown in FIG. In the napkin 1 , the topsheet 2 covers the entire skin-facing surface of the absorbent body 4 , and the backsheet 3 covers the entire non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent body 4 . As the sheets 2 and 3, those commonly used in absorbent articles of this type can be used without any particular limitation. As the surface sheet 2, various liquid-permeable sheets can be used, such as nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, and paper. As the back sheet 3, a sheet having a leakproof property, specifically, a liquid-impermeable (absolutely impermeable property of liquid) 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.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of side sheets 5, 5 are arranged on both sides along the longitudinal direction X of the skin-facing surface of the napkin 1 (the skin-facing surface of the topsheet 2). The pair of side sheets 5, 5 are arranged over substantially the entire length in the longitudinal direction X so as to overlap both side portions along the longitudinal direction X of the absorbent body 4 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, the side sheet 5 has an outer side portion including an outer edge located on the outer side in the lateral direction Y, of both side portions along the longitudinal direction X of the side seat 5. In the form, it is fixed to the back sheet 3) and serves as a fixed edge portion, and the inner portion including the inner edge located on the inner side in the lateral direction Y is a free edge portion that is not fixed to other members. When the napkin 1 is worn, the free edges of the side sheets 5 stand up toward the wearer's skin, thereby preventing excretions such as menstrual blood from flowing outward in the lateral direction Y. As shown in FIG. As the side sheet 5, a sheet having the same leakproof property as the back sheet 3 can be used.

In the present invention, the "skin-facing surface" refers to the surface of the absorbent article or its component (for example, the absorbent body 4) that faces the wearer's skin when the absorbent article is worn. Refers to the outer surface on the near side. The term "non-skin-facing surface" refers to the outer surface of the absorbent article or its constituent members that faces away from the skin when the absorbent article is worn, ie, the side that is relatively far from the wearer's skin. 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.

As shown in FIG. 1, the napkin 1 has an excretion-part facing region M that is arranged to face the wearer's excretion part, and a front region that is arranged in front of the excretion-part facing region M in the longitudinal direction X (abdominal side). F, and a rear region R arranged behind (dorsal side) in the longitudinal direction X from the excretory part facing region M.

In the present invention, the term "excretion part-facing region" refers to a region including an excretion part-facing part arranged to face the excretion part in the absorbent body arrangement region (the region overlapping the absorbent body in plan view) of the absorbent article. The "excretion part" refers to the part where body fluids (menstrual blood, urine, feces, sweat, etc.) of the wearer of the absorbent article are excreted, and is typically the vaginal opening, penis or anus. Varies depending on the purpose of the item. The "excretion part-facing part" refers to a region of the absorbent article that overlaps with the excretion part in a plan view when the absorbent article is worn. The excretory part-facing area is, for example, the entire area located at the same position in the vertical direction as the excretory part-facing part in the absorbent body placement area of the absorbent article (the projection when the excretory part-facing part is projected in the horizontal direction). image overlap area). When the absorbent article is a feminine absorbent article such as the sanitary napkin 1 or a panty liner, the excretory part-facing region refers to the region that faces the vaginal opening when the absorbent article is worn.

The boundary between the front region F and the excretory portion-facing region M (the front end of the excretory portion-facing region M in the longitudinal direction X) is typically located at the rear of the napkin 1 in the longitudinal direction X from the longitudinal direction front end 1F of the napkin 1. It exists at a position separated by 10 to 40% of the total length in the longitudinal direction X. In addition, the boundary between the rear region R and the excretory portion-facing region M (the rear end of the excretory portion-facing region M in the longitudinal direction X) is typically located forward in the longitudinal direction X from the longitudinal direction rear end 1R of the napkin 1. , at positions spaced apart by 10 to 40% of the total length of the napkin 1 in the longitudinal direction X. The term "total length of the napkin 1 in the longitudinal direction X" as used herein means the length along the longitudinal direction X between the longitudinal front end 1F and the longitudinal rear end 1R of the napkin 1 in a natural state (a state in which no external force is applied). point to

The absorbent body 4 includes at least an absorbent core 40 . In this embodiment, the absorbent core 40 has a shape elongated in the longitudinal direction X in plan view, and its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction X of the napkin 1 .
The absorbent core 40 constitutes the main body of the absorbent body 4 and contains a water-absorbent material so that it can absorb and retain bodily fluids. Examples of the water-absorbing material include water-absorbing fibers and water-absorbing polymers, and these may be used alone or in combination of two or more. As the water-absorbing fibers, for example, natural fibers such as wood pulp and hydrophilic fibers such as hydrophilic synthetic fibers can be used. As the water-absorbent polymer, those conventionally used in this type of absorber can be used without particular limitation, and examples thereof include polymers or copolymers of acrylic acid or alkali metal salts of acrylic acid.
The absorbent core 40 may be of a stacked type or of a sheet type. The piling-type absorbent core is typically composed mainly of an aggregate of fibrous materials such as water-absorbing fibers, and has a structure in which the aggregate carries water-absorbing polymer particles as necessary. The fiber stacking type absorbent core can be manufactured according to a conventional method using a known fiber stacking device equipped with a rotating drum. On the other hand, the sheet-type absorbent core typically has a structure in which water-absorbent polymer particles are fixed inside or on the surface of a fiber sheet, and is also called an absorbent sheet. As the fiber sheet, for example, paper, nonwoven fabric, or the like can be used. The sheet-type absorbent core is thinner and more flexible than the fiber-stacked absorbent core. The sheet-type absorbent core may have, for example, a configuration in which water-absorbing polymer particles are interposed between two fiber sheets facing each other.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the absorbent body 4 includes, in addition to the absorbent core 40, a liquid-permeable core wrap that covers the outer surface (skin-facing surface and non-skin-facing surface) of the absorbent core 40. Includes seat 41 . The core wrap sheet 41 is used for the purpose of improving the shape retention of the absorbent core 40 and preventing falling off of the material forming the absorbent core 40 such as water-absorbing polymer particles. It is composed of a non-woven fabric or the like. The core wrap sheet 41 may be composed of only one sheet, or may be composed of a plurality of sheets. The absorbent core 40 and the core wrap sheet 41 may be joined with an adhesive such as a hot-melt adhesive.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent body 4 has a fiber lump layer 42 mainly composed of fiber lumps 11 containing non-absorbent fibers in the excretory part facing region M. As shown in FIG. The fiber mass layer 42 is covered with the core wrap sheet 41 together with the absorbent core 40 . Further, in this embodiment, the fiber mass layer 42 is arranged only in the entire area of the excretory part-facing region M, and the region where the fiber mass layer 42 is arranged is the excretory part-facing region M. As shown in FIG. Regions of the absorbent body 4 where the fiber mass layer 42 is not arranged (portions located in the front region F and the rear region R of the absorbent body 4) include the absorbent core 40 but do not include the fiber mass layer 42 . Therefore, the region where the fiber mass layer 42 is arranged is thicker and bulkier than the region where the fiber mass layer 42 is not arranged. Due to the difference in thickness of the absorbent body 4 due to the presence or absence of the fiber mass layer 42, the excretory part facing region M, where the fiber mass layer 42 is arranged, becomes the front region where the fiber mass layer 42 is not arranged. The skin-facing surface side is raised compared to F and the rear region R, forming a so-called mid-high portion.

The fiber mass layer 42 exists in the region between the lateral recesses sandwiched between the first lateral recess 81 and the second lateral recess 82, which will be described later. Due to the presence of , compression recovery is higher than that of the region adjacent in the longitudinal direction X to the region between the lateral recesses. The fiber mass layer 42 will be detailed later.

The napkin 1 has a flap portion 6 extending outward from the outer edge (periphery) of the absorbent body 4 and forming the outline of the napkin 1, as shown in FIG. The flap portion 6 is a non-arrangement area of the absorber 4 .
In this embodiment, the flap part 6 is composed of a member arranged to straddle the inner and outer edges of the absorbent body 4. In the illustrated embodiment, one of the top sheet 2, the back sheet 3 and the side sheet 5 Or it is composed of two or more types. A plurality of members forming the flap portion 6 are joined to each other by a joining means such as adhesive, fusion by heat or ultrasonic waves. In this embodiment, an end seal portion 60 is formed by fusing the outer edge of the flap portion 6 (the outer edge of the flap portion 6 and its vicinity) over the entire circumference.

A pair of flap portions 6 are positioned outward in the lateral direction Y relative to a pair of imaginary straight lines VL, VL extending in the longitudinal direction X through the outermost end in the lateral direction Y of the absorber 4 as a reference. side flap portions 6S, 6S, a front flap portion 6F positioned inward in the lateral direction Y from the reference and in the front region F, and positioned inward in the lateral direction Y and in the rear region R from the reference and a rear flap portion 6R. The above-mentioned "outermost end in the lateral direction of the absorbent body" is a portion positioned most outward in the lateral direction Y on each of one side and the other side in the lateral direction Y of the absorbent body 4, and in this embodiment, They are a pair of side edges 4S, 4S along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 4. FIG.

Typically, the non-skin facing surface of the napkin 1 (the non-skin facing surface of the backsheet 3) is provided with a fastening portion (not shown) for fastening the napkin 1 to the wearer's clothing. As the fastening portion, any conventionally used means for fixing this type of absorbent article to clothes such as shorts can be used without particular limitation. be able to.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the absorbent body 4 has a vertical recessed portion 7 extending in the vertical direction X from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface. The vertical recess 7 includes at least a first vertical recess 71 positioned in the rear region R and a second vertical recess 72 positioned at least in the excretory part facing region M. As shown in FIG. A pair of the vertical recesses 71 and 72 are present on both sides of the napkin 1 across the horizontal center line CLy.

In this embodiment, the absorbent body 4 further has lateral recesses 8 recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the lateral direction Y, as shown in FIG. The lateral recessed portion 8 includes a first lateral recessed portion 81 arranged in a portion of the rear region R or the excretory portion-facing region M closer to the rear region R, and a portion of the front region F or the excretory portion-facing region M closer to the front region F. and a second lateral recess 82 disposed in the .

The vertical recess 7 (first vertical recess 71, second vertical recess 72) extends in the vertical direction X, and the horizontal recess 8 (first horizontal recess 81, second horizontal recess 82) extends in the horizontal direction. Extends to Y. In the term "extending" (extending) as used herein, a concave portion (single concave unit) that is continuous in plan view extends in a predetermined direction (for example, the vertical direction X or the horizontal direction Y). A form and a form in which a plurality of recessed units that are not continuous lines in a plan view are intermittently arranged in a predetermined direction and the plurality of recessed units extend in a predetermined direction as a whole are included. In the latter form, the separation distance in the predetermined direction between the two recessed units closest to each other in the predetermined direction ensures that the effects of the recessed portions (improved fit and leakproofness of the absorbent article, etc.) are achieved. It is preferably 5 mm or less, more preferably 4 mm or less, from the viewpoint of

When other members such as the topsheet 2 are arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 4, the recessed portions 7 and 8 are arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 4 and the absorbent body. Preferably, the body 4 is formed integrally with a recess. As a result, the effects of the concave portions 7 and 8, such as the effect of improving fit and leakproofness, can be more reliably achieved. Such a configuration is adopted in the present embodiment, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. The core wrap sheet 41) disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent core 40 and the absorbent core 40 are formed integrally with a recess, and the lateral recess 8 is also formed in the same manner.
In addition, in this embodiment, the concave portions 7 and 8 do not penetrate the absorbent body 4, and have openings on the skin-facing surface of the napkin 1, and have bottom portions on the opposite side of the openings. In this way, the concave portions 7 and 8 having openings on the skin-facing surface of the napkin 1 impede the movement of excrement such as menstrual blood in the plane direction, particularly in the direction intersecting with the extending direction of the concave portions 7 and 8. It has the function to
The width of the recesses 7 and 8 (the length in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction) is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of ensuring the effects of the recesses 7 and 8, it is preferably 1 mm or more, More preferably 2 mm or more, preferably 5 mm or less, and more preferably 4 mm or less.

In this embodiment, the recessed portions 7 and 8 are formed by pressing the napkin 1 from the side of the surface sheet 2 that forms the surface facing the skin, and are called "pressed portions" from the method of formation. can also The recesses 7 and 8 have a higher density than their surroundings due to this formation method. That is, in the region where the absorbent body 4 is arranged in the napkin 1 (the region overlapping the absorbent body 4 in a plan view), the recessed portions 7 and 8 that are high-density portions and the recessed portions 7 and 8 that are low-density portions are not arranged. There is a portion (a portion that does not overlap with the recessed portions 7 and 8 in plan view), and a density difference occurs in the surface direction. The pressing can be performed by known embossing such as embossing with or without application of heat, ultrasonic embossing, and the like. When the recessed portions 7 and 8 are formed by pressing with heat, the surface sheet 2, the core wrap sheet 41 and the absorbent core 40 can be heat-sealed and integrated at the bottom of the recessed portions 7 and 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, an interval W71 in the horizontal direction Y between the pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71 gradually decreases along the vertical direction X toward the rear in the vertical direction X, and It has a non-zero shortest distance at the longitudinal rear end 71R of the first longitudinal recess 71 . That is, the pair of first vertical recesses 71, 71 are not connected to each other. In this embodiment, the spaced portion between the longitudinal rear ends 71R, 71R of the pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71 is positioned at the center of the napkin 1 in the lateral direction Y (on the lateral center line CLy). .

In the present embodiment, the pair of first vertical recesses 71, 71 each have a linear shape in a plan view and extend in a direction that intersects both the vertical direction X and the horizontal direction Y. As shown in FIG.
In addition, the pair of second vertical concave portions 72, 72 each form an arcuate shape that is convex outward in the horizontal direction Y, and extends over the entire length of the excretory portion facing region M in the vertical direction X, Further, it extends to the front area F and the rear area R. The convex apex of the second vertical recess 72 and its vicinity are located at a portion (curved portion 63) sandwiched between a front constricted portion 61 and a rear constricted portion 62, which will be described later, on the outer edge of the flap portion 6 (side flap portion 6S). It extends in the longitudinal direction X along.
In addition, the first horizontal recessed portion 81 has an arcuate shape that is convex toward the longitudinal rear end 1R of the napkin 1, and the second horizontal recessed portion 82 is convex toward the longitudinal front end 1F of the napkin 1. It has a curved arc shape. The convex apex of each of the lateral recesses 81 and 82 is positioned at the center of the napkin 1 in the lateral direction Y (on the lateral center line CLy).
Also, these concave portions 71, 72, 81, 82 are not connected to each other.

As described above, the pair of first vertical recesses 71, 71, which are the vertical recesses 7 closest to the vertical rear end 1R of the napkin 1, have an interval W71 (see FIG. 3) between them facing backward in the vertical direction X. , and the first vertical recesses 71, 71 are not connected to each other and are spaced apart in the horizontal direction Y. In the napkin 1, in addition to this, the first vertical The length (width) W4 in the lateral direction Y of the portion at the same position in the longitudinal direction X as the longitudinal rear end 71R of the recessed portion 71 is compared with the maximum length (maximum width) W4max in the lateral direction Y of the absorber 4. are made short. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the absorbent body 4 includes a front region F (front side in the longitudinal direction X of a front constricted portion 61 described later) and a longitudinal rear end 1R side of the rear region R (described later). The rear side in the longitudinal direction X of the rear convex portion 65) has a tapered shape in which the width gradually decreases outward in the longitudinal direction X, and the front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction X including the excretory portion facing region M. The portion sandwiched between the portions has a constant width, and the constant width portion of the absorbent body 4 is the portion having the maximum width W4max. Since the excretory part-facing region M is a site where excretions are most concentrated, it is preferable that the excretory part-facing region M has a high bodily fluid absorption capacity in order to improve the leakproofness. Considering this point, it is preferable that the portion of the absorbent body 4 having the maximum width W4max includes the excretory part facing region M.

As shown in FIG. 3, the napkin 1 has the following characteristics: 1) The interval W71 between the pair of first vertical concave portions 71, 71 located at the rearmost position in the vertical direction X gradually decreases toward the rear end 1R in the vertical direction of the napkin 1. and 2) the distance between the longitudinal rear ends 71R of the absorbent body 4 in the lateral direction Y is formed so as to be separated from each other in the lateral direction Y without being connected to each other; Since the relationship "W4<W4max" is established with respect to the length, when the napkin 1 is worn, along the gluteal cleft of the wearer and the bulging portion between the gluteal cleft and the gluteal fold It is easy to bend into a convex shape toward the wearer's body side, and the bent shape is easily maintained. For this reason, the bent portion at the spaced portion, that is, the bent portion at the spaced portion between the longitudinal rear ends 71R of the pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71 is designed so as to make it difficult for the wearer to perceive discomfort. Easy to fit in the gluteal cleft. In addition, since the napkin 1 fits in the intergluteal cleft in this way, there is an inconvenience that the excrement excreted from the excretory part such as the vaginal opening leaks from the front and back of the napkin 1 in the longitudinal direction X along the intergluteal cleft (so-called transmission leakage). ) is suppressed, the napkin 1 is also excellent in leakproofness.

From the viewpoint of further ensuring the above-described effects, particularly from the viewpoint of further improving the fit of the napkin 1 to the intergluteal cleft, the longitudinal rear ends 71R and 71R of the pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71, The length in the horizontal direction Y of the spaced portion between 71R, that is, the minimum value of the space W71 is preferably 7 mm or more, more preferably 8 mm or more, and preferably 30 mm or less, more preferably 25 mm or less.

From the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the above-described effects, particularly from the viewpoint of further improving the fit of the napkin 1 to the intergluteal cleft, the width W4 (see FIG. 3) of the absorbent body 4 is set to the maximum width of the absorbent body 4. It is preferably 85% or less, more preferably 80% or less, and even more preferably 76% or less of the large W4max. On the other hand, the lower limit of the ratio of the width W4 to the maximum width W4max of the absorbent body 4 is the region (rear From the viewpoint of imparting a practically sufficient body fluid absorption capacity to region R), it is preferably 20% or more, more preferably 30% or more.

The width W4 of the absorbent body 4, that is, the length in the horizontal direction Y of the portion of the absorbent body 4 at the same position in the vertical direction X as the vertical rear end 71R of the first vertical recessed portion 71 is the maximum width of the absorbent body 4. Given that it is shorter than W4max, it is preferably 20 mm or more, more preferably 25 mm or more, and preferably 80 mm or less, more preferably 70 mm or less.
The maximum width W4max of the absorbent body 4 (in this embodiment, the length of the absorbent body 4 in the horizontal direction Y in the excretory part facing region M) is preferably 40 mm or more on the premise that it is longer than the width W4 of the absorbent body 4. , more preferably 50 mm or more, and preferably 100 mm or less, more preferably 90 mm or less.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the absorbent body 4 has a rear region R in which the length (width) in the lateral direction Y of the absorbent body 4 gradually decreases toward the longitudinal rear end 4R of the absorbent body 4 . It has a tapered portion 45 in which at least a portion of the first vertical recess 71 including the longitudinal rear end 71R of the first vertical recess 71 is disposed. A portion of the outer edge of the rear tapered portion 45 of the absorbent body 4 extending along the first vertical recess 71, particularly a portion extending along the longitudinal rear end 71R side of the first vertical recess 71, is outside the outer edge. It has a back curve 47 with a center of curvature at . As a result, a portion of the outer edge of the absorber 4 at the same position in the vertical direction X as the vertical rear end 71R of the first vertical recess 71 has a rear curved portion 47 . With such a configuration, the flexibility of the outer edge of the rear region R of the napkin 1 and its vicinity (edge) is improved. The fit to the crack can be further improved.

With reference to FIG. 3, longitudinal directions of a pair of contour lines of a longitudinal rear end 4R of the absorbent body 4 and a rear tapered portion 45 extending outward in both lateral directions Y from the longitudinal rear end 4R of the absorbent body 4, respectively. Assuming that the angle formed by the two imaginary straight lines V1, V1 connecting the front end 48 is θ1, and the angle formed by the pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71 is θ2, the difference between the angles θ1 and θ2 is The absolute value is preferably 60° or less, more preferably 45° or less, even more preferably 40° or less, and may be zero, ie the angle θ1=θ2. With such a configuration, together with the characteristic configuration of the first vertical recess 71 described above, the fit of the napkin 1 to the intergluteal cleft can be further improved. In this embodiment, the angle θ1>angle θ2, but conversely, the angle θ1<angle θ2 may be satisfied. A particularly preferable relationship is angle θ1>angle θ2. The angles θ1 and θ2 are each preferably 30° or more, more preferably 40° or more, and preferably 120° or less, more preferably 100° or less.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the flap portion 6 is provided in the rear region R in the lateral direction Y of the flap portion 6 toward the longitudinal rear end of the flap portion 6 (the longitudinal rear end 1R of the napkin 1). It has a rearward taper 68 of tapered length (width). A portion of the outer edge of the rear tapered portion 68 of the flap portion 6 that extends along the first vertical recess 71, particularly a portion that extends along the longitudinal rear end 71R side of the first vertical recess 71, is located outside the outer edge. It has an inner convex curved portion 66 having a center of curvature at . As a result, a portion of the outer edge of the flap portion 6 at the same position in the longitudinal direction X as the longitudinal rear end 71R of the first longitudinal recessed portion 71 has an inward convex curved portion 66 . With such a configuration, together with the characteristic configuration of the first vertical recess 71 described above, the fit of the napkin 1 to the intergluteal cleft can be further improved. In particular, in this embodiment, the rear curved portion 47 of the outer edge of the absorbent body 4 and the inner convex curved portion 66 of the outer edge of the flap portion 6 are present along the first vertical recessed portion 71, so that the above-described effects are more assured. can be played in

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the longitudinal front end portion of the first vertical recess 71 (that is, the first vertical recess 71 is positioned in the rear region R or in the excretory portion facing region M near the rear region R). The vertical front end 71F and its vicinity) and the vertical rear end of the second vertical recess 72 (that is, the vertical rear end 72R of the second vertical recess 72 and its vicinity) are spaced apart in the vertical direction X or the horizontal direction Y. A spaced portion P (a portion surrounded by a dotted line circle in FIG. 3) exists. The spaced portion P functions as a bending guide portion (flexible shaft) of the napkin 1, similarly to the spaced portion between the longitudinal rear ends 71R of the first vertical recessed portion 71 described above, and is preferably deformed while the napkin 1 is worn. can promote A constricted portion (rear constricted portion) 62 is provided at the outer edge of the flap portion 6 at the same position as the spaced portion P in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG. With such a configuration, together with the characteristic configuration of the first vertical recess 71 described above, the fit of the napkin 1 to the intergluteal cleft can be further improved.
From the viewpoint of ensuring that the function and effect of the separation portion P are exhibited more reliably, the distance between the longitudinal front end 71F of the first vertical recessed portion 71 and the longitudinal rear end 72R of the second vertical recessed portion 72 is It is preferably 6 mm or more, more preferably 7 mm or more, and preferably 30 mm or less, more preferably 25 mm or less.

In the present embodiment, the longitudinal front end of the first vertical recess 71 is positioned further outward in the horizontal direction Y than the longitudinal rear end of the second vertical recess 72, but the space P exists. On the other hand, even if the longitudinal rear end of the second vertical recess 72 is positioned further outward in the lateral direction Y than the longitudinal front end of the first vertical recess 71 good. However, from the viewpoints of further preventing side leakage and improving the flexibility of the outer edge of the napkin 1, it is preferable to adopt the present embodiment.
In this embodiment, the longitudinal front end of the first vertical recess 71 and the longitudinal rear end of the second vertical recess 72 are spaced apart in the horizontal direction Y. Although the projected images of the two overlap each other, they may be spaced apart in the vertical direction X instead of being spaced apart in the horizontal direction Y.

The outer edge of the flap portion 6 of the napkin 1 will be described. A portion that has a front constricted portion 61 located in the front region F and a rear constricted portion 62 located in the rear region R and that is sandwiched between the constricted portions 61 and 62 (region between the constricted portions) extends in the lateral direction Y has an outwardly convex curved portion 63 . The curved portion 63 extends over the entire length in the longitudinal direction X of the excretory portion-facing region M. As shown in FIG. The region between the constrictions overlaps in the vertical direction X with the region between the lateral recesses sandwiched between the first lateral recess 81 and the second lateral recess 82 .
A portion of the outer edge of the side flap portion 6S sandwiched between the constricted portions 61 and 62 has a curved shape that protrudes outward in the lateral direction Y and does not have an inflection point. Both of the constricted portions 61 and 62 are curved inward in the lateral direction Y and are configured with curved lines. In the present invention, either one or both of the constricted portions 61 and 62 may be bent inward in the lateral direction Y and configured in a straight line.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer edges of the flap portions 6 (the side flap portions 6S, the front flap portion 6F, and the rear flap portion 6R) are located forward of the front constricted portion 61 in the longitudinal direction X. a front convex portion 64 that is connected to the front constricted portion 61 and protrudes in a direction away from the absorbent body 4; and a rear convex portion 65 projecting in a direction away from. Since the side flap portion 6S has the rear convex portion 65, when an external force is applied to the side flap portion 6S due to the movement of the wearer's groin, the side flap portion 6S is deformed so as to be folded back toward the non-skin facing surface. This makes it possible to reduce the external force and make wrinkles or the like less likely to occur in the rear region R. A region extending from the rear convex portion 65 to the longitudinal rear end of the flap portion 6 (the longitudinal rear end 1R of the napkin 1) is the rear tapered portion 68 of the flap portion 6 described above. A portion of the outer edge of the flap portion 6 sandwiched between the longitudinal rear end of the flap portion 6 and the rear convex portion 65 extends along the first vertical concave portion 71, and extends along the inner convex curved portion 66 described above. have. For this reason, it becomes easy to maintain the uprightness of the gentle bending structure toward the front side from the rear end of the gluteal cleft guided by the first vertical recessed portion 71 .

With reference to FIG. 3(b), an imaginary straight line V2 connecting a longitudinal front end 66a and a longitudinal rear end 66c of the inner convex curved portion 66 is used as the base, and a maximum point 66b of the inner convex curved portion 66, the front end 66a Assuming a triangle whose two sides are two imaginary straight lines V3, V3 connecting the rear end 66c, the angle θ3 formed by the vertices of the rear end 66c is preferably 3° or more and 35°. Below, more preferably 5° or more and 25° or less. When the angle θ3 is within the above range, the above-mentioned "a pair of first vertical recessed portions 71, 71 at the spaced portion between the rear ends 71R in the longitudinal direction of the bent portion between the gluteal cleft and the gluteal fold of the wearer. In addition to further improving the "fitness to the swollen area between", it can be expected to improve the absorbency.

In this embodiment, the napkin 1 is a pad-type absorbent article. In the present invention, the "pad-type absorbent article" refers to an absorbent article that does not have wings. The "wing part" is a part that is artificially folded back with fingers to the non-skin facing side of the crotch part when attaching the absorbent article to the skin facing surface of the crotch part of clothing such as shorts. Typically, taking the napkin 1 as an example, the portion of the side flap portion 6S located in the excretory portion facing region M is the portion that extends outward in the lateral direction Y more than the peripheral portion. The napkin 1 does not have a portion, such as a wing portion, which is folded back by an artificial operation using fingers on the non-skin facing side of the clothes when worn.

In addition, in the napkin 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a part (curved portion 63) of the outer edge of the side flap portion 6S has a curved portion that protrudes outward in the lateral direction Y, and is more laterally curved than the peripheral portion. Although it extends outward from Y, the side flap portion 6S, like the wing portion, is placed on the non-skin facing side of the clothing by artificial operation using fingers when attaching the napkin 1 to the clothing. It is not folded back and is clearly distinguished from the wing part. Therefore, in the napkin 1 of the present embodiment, a fixing means such as an adhesive (which is usually arranged on the wing portion of a sanitary napkin) is placed on the non-skin-facing surface of the area defined by the curved portion 63 of the side flap portion 6S. A means for fixing the absorbent article to clothing such as underwear is not provided.
In the napkin 1, a gap G1 (see FIG. 1) in the lateral direction Y between the outer edge (side edge along the longitudinal direction X) of the side flap portion 6S and the absorbent body 4 is typically about 35 mm at maximum. On the other hand, in an absorbent article having wings, from the viewpoint of facilitating the artificial bending operation using the fingers of the wings, the length of the wings in the lateral direction, that is, the tips of the wings (horizontal The distance between the outermost edge of the direction) and the absorber usually greatly exceeds the typical maximum value of 35 mm for said distance G1.

Since the napkin 1 is a pad-type absorbent article with no wing portions, the troublesome operation of putting it on, which is a problem peculiar to absorbent articles with wing portions, is eliminated, and it is easy to put on. be able to. That is, when the napkin 1 is attached to the crotch of the wearer, the shorts are first passed through the wearer's legs, and before the shorts are brought into close contact with the crotch, the skin facing surface of the crotch portion of the shorts ( The napkin 1 is fastened to the inner surface) via a fastening portion (not shown) of the napkin 1, and then the shorts are pulled toward the crotch portion to attach the napkin 1 to the crotch portion. FIG. 4 shows the napkin 1 attached to the wearer's crotch region in this way, and the napkin 1 is attached to the skin-facing surface of the crotch portion 21 of the shorts 20 via the fastening portion. At the same time, part of the side flap portion 6S (curved portion 63 and its vicinity) is bent along the side edge of the crotch portion 21 to the side opposite to the crotch portion side, and is arranged along the thigh portion 30 of the wearer. It is in a state of The bent portion of the side flap portion 6S of the napkin 1 in this worn state has the same function as the wing portion of a conventional sanitary napkin, preventing the napkin 1 from being displaced from the proper position while the napkin 1 is being worn. Although it is possible to achieve effects such as improved fit to the body of the person and prevention of leakage of excrement, it is necessary for the wing part to be in such a bent state. No bending operation is required. That is, when the napkin 1 is fastened to the skin-facing surface of the crotch portion 21 of the shorts 20 with the wearer's legs 30, 30 passed through the fastening portion, both side edges of the crotch portion 21 are: When the portion sandwiched between the front constricted portion 61 and the rear constricted portion 62 in each of the pair of side flap portions 6S, 6S (the portion whose outer edge is the curved portion 63) extends, the shorts 20 are worn by the wearer in that state. When pulled toward the crotch portion, the extending portion of the side flap portion 6S from the crotch portion 21 naturally bends along the side edge of the crotch portion 21 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the shorts 20 are pulled, and the napkin 1 moves between the crotch portions. 5, the extending portion is in a state along the wearer's leg (thigh) 30. As shown in FIG.
In this way, the extension of the crotch portion 21 in the side flap portion 6S can be adjusted to the side edge of the crotch portion 21 simply by pulling the shorts 20 toward the crotch portion without any manual bending operation using fingers. The fact that the side flap portion 6S can be naturally bent along is due to the action of both constricted portions 61 and 62 provided on the outer edge of the side flap portion 6S. That is, since the front constricted portion 61 and the rear constricted portion 62 are spaced apart from each other on the outer edge of the side flap portion 6S with the curved portion 63 interposed therebetween, the curved portion 63 of the side flap portion 6S and its vicinity receive external force. Therefore, the napkin 1 is attached to the crotch portion 21 at an appropriate attachment position so that the curved portion 63 and its vicinity extend from the side edge of the crotch portion 21. After that, the shorts 20 are simply pulled toward the crotch side, and the curved portions 63 extending from the side edges of the crotch portion 21 and their vicinity are exposed to external force acting through the legs (thighs) of the wearer. Easily deformed.

From the viewpoint of further ensuring the effect of easy attachment of the napkin 1 described above, the fastening portion (a member for fastening the napkin 1 to the wearer's clothes) is the absorbent body 4 in plan view. It is preferably arranged in the overlapping region and not arranged in the flap portion 6 (side flap portion 6S).

From the viewpoint of ensuring the effect of the flap portion 6 described above, it is preferable to set the dimensions of each portion of the napkin 1 as follows.
The front constricted portion 61 is preferably 40 mm or more, more preferably 50 mm or more, and preferably 150 mm or less, more preferably 150 mm or less, and more preferably 40 mm or more, more preferably 50 mm or more, and more preferably 150 mm or more behind the longitudinal direction front end 1F of the napkin 1 (the longitudinal direction front end of the flap portion 6). is preferably located within 140 mm.
The rear constricted portion 62 is preferably 100 mm or more, more preferably 120 mm or more, and preferably 350 mm or less forward in the longitudinal direction X from the longitudinal rear end 1R of the napkin 1 (the longitudinal rear end of the flap portion 6). More preferably, it is arranged at a position within 330 mm.
A distance G2 (see FIG. 1) in the longitudinal direction X between the front constricted portion 61 and the rear constricted portion 62 is preferably 40 mm or more, more preferably 60 mm or more, and preferably 250 mm or less, more preferably 230 mm or less.
The maximum length (maximum width) of the napkin 1 in the transverse direction Y is preferably 60 mm or more, more preferably 80 mm or more, and preferably 200 mm or less, more preferably 180 mm or less. The portion having the maximum width of the napkin 1 typically exists in the excretory portion facing region M, and in the illustrated embodiment, is the portion where the convex apex of the curved portion 63 of the side flap portion 6S exists.
The total length of the napkin 1 in the longitudinal direction X is preferably 100 mm or more, more preferably 140 mm or more, and preferably 450 mm or less, more preferably 420 mm or less.

In the present embodiment, referring to FIG. 1, in a region (absorber placement region) overlapping the absorber 4 in plan view, a lateral recess sandwiched between a first lateral recess 81 and a second lateral recess 82 is provided. The inter-portion region has a higher compression recovery property than the region adjacent in the longitudinal direction X to the lateral recess inter-portion region. The region between the lateral recesses, which has high compression recovery, has excellent cushioning properties, deforms with good responsiveness to an external force, and can quickly return to its original state when the external force is released. The region between the horizontal recesses extends over the entire length of the excretory part-facing region M in the longitudinal direction X, and therefore the excretory part-facing region M is a region with relatively high compression recovery. With such a configuration, the fit of the excretory part facing region M to the wearer's body is improved, and together with the effects of the vertical recesses 71 and 72 described above, the fit of the entire napkin 1 and the fit to the body are improved. Followability is improved, and further improvement in leakproofness and wearability can be expected.

The "compression recoverability" can be evaluated using compression work (hereinafter also referred to as "WC") and recovery work (hereinafter also referred to as "WC'") as indices. WC is an index of the cushioning property of the object to be measured, and the larger the value of WC, the better the cushioning property of the object to be measured, and therefore the better the recovery from compression. WC' is an index of the recoverability (compression recovery) of the object to be measured when the external force is removed after applying an external force to the object to be measured. The object to be measured is evaluated as having excellent compression recovery. WC and WC' are measured by the following methods.

<Measurement method of compression work (WC) and recovery work (WC')>
It is generally known that WC and WC' to be measured can be expressed as measured values by KES (Kawabata Evaluation System) manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd. (Reference: Standardization and analysis of texture evaluation (Second edition), authored by Toshio Kawabata, published on July 10, 1980). Specifically, WC and WC' can be measured using a compression tester KES-G5 manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd. The measurement procedure is as follows.
First, the sample is mounted on the test stand of the compression test apparatus. The sample is, for example, an absorbent article such as a napkin 1 or a constituent member thereof (eg, absorbent body 4). The sample is in a dry state and has a square shape of 5 mm long and 5 mm wide when viewed from above. If the dry sample is an absorbent body or absorbent article containing the same, the absorbent body is virgin, has not absorbed liquid, and is dry. The sample is then compressed between steel plates with circular planes with an area of 2 cm ² . The portion to be compressed at this time is a non-concave portion of the sample, that is, a portion that has not undergone compression processing or the like and retains its original shape. Compression rate is 0.2 cm/sec, maximum compression load is 2450 mN/cm ² , SENS is 10, and DEF is 20. The recovery process is also measured at the same speed. WC is represented by the following formula (1), and WC' is represented by the following formula (2), and each unit is "mN·cm/cm ² ". In the following formula, T _m indicates the thickness under a load of 2450 mN/cm ² (4.9 kPa), and T _O indicates the thickness under a load of 4.902 mN/cm ² (49 Pa). Pa in the following formula (1) and Pb in the following formula (2) are the measured load (mN/cm ² ) during the compression process and the measured load (mN/cm ² ) during the thickness recovery process, respectively. show.

Note that WC' is not displayed on the KES-G5 measurement result screen, and what is displayed on the measurement result screen is WC and the compression recovery rate or compression resilience calculated from WC' (hereinafter referred to as " RC”). In such a case, using the parameters (WC, RC) displayed on the measuring device, WC' is calculated by the following equation.

The ratio of the WC of the region between the lateral recesses and the WC of the region in front of it in the longitudinal direction X (for example, the front region F) or the region behind it (for example, the rear region R) is the former > the latter, and the former/latter , is 1.5 or more, more preferably 1.7 or more.
WC of the region between lateral recesses is preferably 100 mN·cm/cm ² or more, more preferably 120 mN·cm/cm ² or more. Although the upper limit of WC in the region between the constricted portions is not particularly limited, it is preferably 300 mN·cm/cm ² or less, more preferably 280 mN·cm/cm ² from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness of the absorbent article in the individually wrapped state. It is below.

The ratio between WC′ in the region between the lateral recesses and WC′ in the front region (for example, front region F) or rear region (for example, rear region R) in the longitudinal direction X is the former > the latter, and the former / The latter is preferably 1.5 or more, more preferably 1.7 or more.
WC' of the region between lateral recesses is preferably 100 mN·cm/cm ² or more, more preferably 120 mN·cm/cm ² or more. Although the upper limit of WC′ in the region between the constricted portions is not particularly limited, it is preferably 300 mN·cm/cm ^or less, more preferably 280 mN·cm/cm, from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness of the absorbent article in the individually wrapped state. ² or less.

The difference in the partial compression recoverability of the napkin 1 (absorbent body 4) described above is due to the difference in the presence or absence of the fiber mass layer 42. FIG. That is, since the region between the laterally recessed portions (excretion portion facing region M) includes the fiber mass layer 42, it has a higher compressive recovery property than other regions that do not include this.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fiber mass layer 42 is mainly composed of the fiber mass 11 containing non-water-absorbing fibers. Here, "mainly composed of fiber lumps" means that the fiber lumps 11 account for 90% by mass or more, preferably 95% by mass or more, more preferably 100% by mass, of all the fibers constituting the fiber lump layer 42. % by mass. The fiber clump 11 is a fiber assembly in which a plurality of non-absorbent fibers are aggregated and integrated, and is present in the absorbent body 4 (fiber clump layer 42) while maintaining its shape. The fiber clump 11 mainly contributes to improving the flexibility, cushioning property, compression recovery property, and shape retention property of the absorbent body 4 due to the shape of the fiber aggregate.
As the non-absorbent fibers constituting the fiber mass 11, fibers having a lower degree of water absorption (non-absorbent fibers) than the absorbent fibers such as cellulosic fibers used as the absorbent material in the absorbent core 40 are preferable. Synthetic fibers mainly composed of thermoplastic resins can be mentioned as an example. Since the fiber clump 11 includes non-water-absorbing fibers, even when the fiber clump 11 comes into contact with body fluids, the properties such as flexibility of the fiber clump 11 can be fully exhibited.
The shape of the fiber mass 11 is not particularly limited, and may be an irregular shape. For example, a regular shape such as a sheet piece obtained by cutting a synthetic fiber sheet to have a certain size can also be used. . Examples of such a fixed-shaped fiber mass include, for example, the fiber masses described in JP-A-2019-063469, JP-A-2019-098157, and JP-A-2020-188918. A fiber mass having a basic surface and a skeletal surface connecting the two basic surfaces can be preferably used.

The fiber mass layer 42 is a region where the fiber mass 11 exists over the entire length in the lateral direction Y of the absorbent body 4 . The fiber mass layer 42 may include only the fiber mass 11, or may further contain a water-absorbing material in addition to the fiber mass 11. FIG. The fiber mass layer 42 containing the water-absorbing material can absorb and retain bodily fluids, and the absorption performance of the absorbent body 4 can be improved. As the water absorbent material used for the fiber mass layer 42, any material that can be used for the absorbent core 40 can be used without particular limitation.

In this embodiment, the fiber mass layer 42 includes the fiber mass 11, as shown in FIG. Typically, the fiber mass layer 42 contains only the fiber mass 11 . In the fiber lump layer 42, the fiber lumps 11 are preferably entangled with each other. By configuring the fiber mass layer 42 in this way, the shape retention of the fiber mass layer 42 is improved, and the absorbent body 4 having the fiber mass layer 42 follows external forces received from various directions during wearing. It can be easily and appropriately deformed, and further has excellent flexibility, cushioning properties, and compression recovery properties. The napkin 1 having such an absorbent body 4 can be easily deformed and recovered from external force, is less likely to be twisted, and has excellent fit to the wearer's body. Further, in the fiber mass layer 42 and the absorbent core 40 placed thereon, it is more preferable that the former fiber mass 11 and the latter water absorbent fiber are entangled at the interface between the two.
The term “entangled” means that (i) objects to be entangled (fiber masses or fiber masses and water-absorbing fibers) are not fused to each other, and the bonding state is maintained by the entanglement of the constituent fibers of the fiber masses. and (ii) the natural state of the absorbent article (absorbent body) (the state in which no external force is applied), the fiber lumps or the fiber lumps and the water-absorbing fibers are not bonded, but the absorbent article ( It includes both a form in which fiber masses or fiber masses and water-absorbing fibers can be bonded together by entanglement of constituent fibers in a state where an external force is applied to the absorbent body.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the excretory part facing region M, the skin facing side of the absorbent body 4 is composed of an absorbent core 40 mainly composed of water absorbent fibers 12 and water absorbent polymer particles 13, While the absorbent body 4 does not substantially contain the fiber lumps 11 , the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 4 is composed of the fiber lump layer 42 mainly composed of the fiber lumps 11 .
More specifically, in the present embodiment, in the absorbent body 4 in the excretory part-facing region M, the fiber clump occupancy calculated by the following formula (1) is higher on the skin-facing side than on the non-skin-facing side. lower. That is, in the present embodiment, the fiber lumps 11 are unevenly distributed on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 4 in the excretory part facing region M, and the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body 4 is the skin facing side of the absorbent body 4. The fiber clump occupancy rate is higher than that on the face side. More specifically, in the excretory part-facing region M, the water-absorbent fibers 12 are unevenly distributed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 4, and the content of the fiber lumps 11 can be zero. On the non-skin-facing side, the fiber lumps 11 are unevenly distributed, and the content of the absorbent fibers 12 may be zero.
The term "skin-facing side of the absorbent body" as used herein refers to the side including the skin-facing side (the side relatively close to the wearer's skin) when the absorbent body 4 is bisected in the thickness direction. , "the non-skin facing side of the absorber" refers to the opposite side (the side relatively far from the wearer's skin).
In this way, in the absorbent body 4 in the excretory part-facing region M, the above-described magnitude relationship "the skin-facing surface side of the absorbent body 4 < the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 4" is established for the fiber clump occupancy rate. Due to the action of the water-absorbent fibers unevenly distributed on the skin-facing surface side of the absorbent body 4, the absorption force (capillary force) of body fluids of the absorbent body 4 is improved to improve the liquid absorption, and the non-skin-facing surface of the absorbent body 4. Due to the action of the fiber masses 11 unevenly distributed on the side, the cushioning properties of the absorbent body 4 and the like can be improved.

The fiber clump occupancy rate is obtained by measuring the content of each of the fiber clumps and the water-absorbent material present in the measurement target site by mass for a predetermined measurement target site of the absorbent body, and dividing the content mass of the measured fiber clumps into the fiber mass and It is expressed as a percentage of 100 by dividing by the total value of the content mass of each water absorbent material. The water-absorbing material is as described above, and is typically water-absorbing fibers and/or water-absorbing polymers.
Fiber mass occupancy (% by mass) = {mass content of fiber mass/(mass content of water-absorbent material + mass content of fiber mass)} x 100 (1)

Although the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the first vertical recessed portion 71 and the second vertical recessed portion 72 are separated to form the separation portion P (see FIG. 3), but the vertical recessed portions 71 and 72 are connected to each other. may be However, as described above, since the predetermined effect of the present invention can be achieved more reliably by forming the separation portion P, it is preferable that the two vertical concave portions 71 and 72 are separated without being connected. .
In the above-described embodiment, the non-skin facing surface of the portion formed by the curved portion 63 of the side flap portion 6S in the excretory portion facing region M is not provided with fixing means for the underwear such as adhesive. The fixing means may be arranged on the non-skin facing surface of the.
The absorbent article of the present invention includes articles used for absorbing bodily fluids (menstrual blood, urine, loose stools, sweat, etc.) excreted from the human body, and is not limited to the sanitary napkins described above.

The following notes are further disclosed with respect to the above-described embodiments of the present invention.
<1>
Equipped with an absorbent body capable of absorbing and retaining bodily fluids, the excretory part facing region has a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the wearer and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and is arranged to face the excretory part of the wearer when worn. an absorbent article comprising: a front region arranged forward in the longitudinal direction of the excretory part-facing region; and a rear region arranged longitudinally rearward of the excretory part-facing region, ,
A flap portion extending outward from the outer edge of the absorbent body and forming a contour of the absorbent article,
The absorbent body has a vertical recess recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the vertical direction, and the vertical recess is at least a first vertical recess located in the rear region. , and a second vertical recess positioned at least in the excretory part facing region, and both vertical recesses respectively bisect the absorbent article in the horizontal direction and virtually extend in the vertical direction. A pair exists on both sides of the center line,
The horizontal distance between the pair of first vertical recesses is gradually shortened toward the rear in the vertical direction along the vertical direction, and the longitudinal rear ends of the first vertical recesses has a non-zero shortest interval at
In the absorbent body, the length in the horizontal direction of the portion at the same position in the vertical direction as the rear end in the vertical direction of the first vertical recess is shorter than the maximum length in the horizontal direction of the absorbent body. , absorbent articles.
<2>
The lateral length of the portion of the absorbent body that is at the same position in the longitudinal direction as the longitudinal rear end of the first vertical recess is 85% or less of the maximum lateral length of the absorbent body. The absorbent article according to <1>.
<3>
The lateral length of the portion of the absorbent body that is at the same position in the longitudinal direction as the longitudinal rear end of the first vertical recess is 20% or more of the maximum lateral length of the absorbent body85 % or less, preferably 30% or more and 80% or less, more preferably 35% or more and 75% or less, the absorbent article according to <1>.
<4>
The absorbent body has, in the rear region, a rear tapered portion in which the length in the horizontal direction of the absorbent body gradually decreases toward the rear end in the vertical direction of the absorbent body, and the rear tapered portion includes the first tapered portion. at least a portion of the first longitudinal recess is disposed, including a longitudinal trailing edge of the longitudinal recess;
Any one of <1> to <3>, wherein a portion of the outer edge of the rear tapered portion of the absorbent body that extends along the first vertical recess has a rear curved portion having a center of curvature outside the outer edge. Absorbent article according to one.
<5>
Two imaginary lines connecting the longitudinal rear end of the absorbent body and the longitudinal front ends of the pair of contour lines of the rear tapered portion extending outward in both lateral directions from the longitudinal rear end of the absorbent body. In <3>, the absolute value of the difference between the angle θ1 and the angle θ2 is 60° or less, where θ1 is the angle formed by the straight line and θ2 is the angle formed by the pair of first vertical recesses. The absorbent article described.
<6>
The absorbent article according to <5>, wherein the absolute value of the difference between the angle θ1 and the angle θ2 is 60° or less, preferably 45° or less, and more preferably 40° or less.
<7>
The absorbent article according to <5> or <6>, wherein the angle θ1 is greater than the angle θ2.

<8>
The flap portion has, in the rear region, a rear tapered portion in which the length of the flap portion in the horizontal direction gradually decreases toward the rear end in the vertical direction of the flap portion,
Any one of <1> to <6>, wherein a portion of the outer edge of the rear tapered portion of the flap portion extending along the first vertical recess has an inner convex curved portion having a center of curvature outside the outer edge. 1. Absorbent article according to one.
<9>
The flap portion includes a pair of side flap portions positioned outward in the horizontal direction from a pair of imaginary straight lines extending in the vertical direction through the outermost end in the horizontal direction of the absorber,
The outer edge of the side flap portion has, in the rear region, a rear convex portion positioned forward in the longitudinal direction of the inner convex curved portion and connected to the inner convex curved portion, <8>. Absorbent article according to.
<10>
An imaginary straight line connecting the longitudinal front end and the longitudinal rear end of the inner convex curved portion is used as the base side, and two imaginary lines connecting the maximum point of the inner convex curved portion and the longitudinal front end and the longitudinal rear end respectively. Assuming a triangle with straight lines as two sides, the angle (θ3) formed by the vertices of the vertical rear end of the triangle is 3° or more and 35° or less, preferably 5° or more and 25° or less. The absorbent article according to <8> or <9>.
<11>
The longitudinal front end portion of the first vertical recess and the longitudinal rear end portion of the second vertical recess are aligned in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction in the rear region or the portion near the rear region in the excretory portion facing region. There are spaced portions spaced apart in the direction of
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein a portion of the outer edge of the flap portion located at the same position in the vertical direction as the spaced portion has a constricted portion.
<12>
The absorbent body has a lateral recess recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the lateral direction, and the lateral recess is the rear region or the rear region in the excretory part-facing region. including a first lateral recess disposed in a nearer portion and a second lateral recess disposed in a portion closer to the front region in the front region or the excretory portion-facing region;
In the region overlapping the absorber in plan view, the region between lateral recesses sandwiched between the first lateral recess and the second lateral recess is adjacent to the region between lateral recesses in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <11>, which has higher compression recovery than regions.
<13>
The flap portion includes a pair of side flap portions positioned outward in the horizontal direction from a pair of imaginary straight lines extending in the vertical direction through the outermost end in the horizontal direction of the absorber,
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <12>, wherein the side flap portions are not provided with fixing means (such as an adhesive) for fixing the side flap portions to clothing.
<14>
The absorbent article according to any one of <1> to <13>, wherein the absorbent body includes a fiber lump layer mainly composed of fiber lumps containing non-absorbent fibers in the excretory part-facing region.
<15>
The absorbent article according to <14>, wherein the fiber lumps are entangled with each other.
<16>
At least in the excretion part-facing region, the non-skin-facing surface side of the absorbent body has a higher fiber clump occupancy calculated by the following formula (1) than the skin-facing side of the absorbent body, <14> Or the absorbent article according to <15>.
Fiber mass occupancy (% by mass) = {mass content of fiber mass/(mass content of water-absorbing material + mass content of fiber mass)} × 100

1 sanitary napkin (absorbent article)
1F Vertical front end of sanitary napkin (vertical front end of flap)
1R longitudinal rear edge of sanitary napkin (longitudinal rear edge of flap)
2 Top sheet 3 Back sheet 4 Absorbent body 40 Absorbent core 41 Core wrap sheet 42 Fiber mass layer 45 Rear tapered portion 5 Side sheet 6 Flap portion 6S Side flap portion 61 Front constricted portion 62 Rear constricted portion 66 Inner convex curved portion 68 Rear Tapered portion 7 Vertical recessed portion 71 First vertical recessed portion 72 Second vertical recessed portion 8 Horizontal recessed portion 81 First horizontal recessed portion 82 Second horizontal recessed portion 11 Fiber mass 12 Absorbent fibers F Front region M Excretion portion facing region R Rear region X Vertical direction Y Horizontal direction

Claims (7)

Equipped with an absorbent body capable of absorbing and retaining bodily fluids, the excretory part facing region has a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the wearer and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and is arranged to face the excretory part of the wearer when worn. an absorbent article comprising: a front region arranged forward in the longitudinal direction of the excretory part-facing region; and a rear region arranged longitudinally rearward of the excretory part-facing region, ,
A flap portion extending outward from the outer edge of the absorbent body and forming a contour of the absorbent article,
The absorbent body has a vertical recess recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the vertical direction, and the vertical recess is at least a first vertical recess located in the rear region. , and a second vertical recess positioned at least in the excretory part facing region, and both vertical recesses respectively bisect the absorbent article in the horizontal direction and virtually extend in the vertical direction. A pair exists on both sides of the center line,
The horizontal distance between the pair of first vertical recesses is gradually shortened toward the rear in the vertical direction along the vertical direction, and the longitudinal rear ends of the first vertical recesses has a non-zero shortest interval at
In the absorbent body, the length in the horizontal direction of the portion at the same position in the vertical direction as the rear end in the vertical direction of the first vertical recess is shorter than the maximum length in the horizontal direction of the absorbent body. , absorbent articles. The lateral length of the portion of the absorbent body that is at the same position in the longitudinal direction as the longitudinal rear end of the first vertical recess is 85% or less of the maximum lateral length of the absorbent body. 2. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein a. The absorbent body has, in the rear region, a rear tapered portion in which the length in the horizontal direction of the absorbent body gradually decreases toward the rear end in the vertical direction of the absorbent body, and the rear tapered portion includes the first tapered portion. at least a portion of the first longitudinal recess is disposed, including a longitudinal trailing edge of the longitudinal recess;
3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the outer edge of said rear tapered portion of said absorbent body extending along said first vertical recess has a rear curved portion having a center of curvature outside said outer edge. . Two imaginary lines connecting the longitudinal rear end of the absorbent body and the longitudinal front ends of the pair of contour lines of the rear tapered portion extending outward in both lateral directions from the longitudinal rear end of the absorbent body. wherein the absolute value of the difference between the angle θ1 and the angle θ2 is 60° or less, where θ1 is the angle formed by the straight line and θ2 is the angle formed by the pair of first vertical recesses. The absorbent article described. The flap portion has, in the rear region, a rear tapered portion in which the length of the flap portion in the horizontal direction gradually decreases toward the rear end in the vertical direction of the flap portion,
5. The portion of the outer edge of the rear tapered portion of the flap portion extending along the first vertical recess has an inwardly convex curved portion having a center of curvature outside the outer edge. Absorbent article according to. The longitudinal front end portion of the first vertical recess and the longitudinal rear end portion of the second vertical recess are aligned in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction in the rear region or the portion near the rear region in the excretory portion facing region. There are spaced portions spaced apart in the direction of
6. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a portion of the outer edge of the flap portion at the same position as the spaced portion in the longitudinal direction has a constricted portion. The absorbent body has a lateral recess recessed from the skin-facing surface toward the non-skin-facing surface and extending in the lateral direction, and the lateral recess is the rear region or the rear region in the excretory part-facing region. including a first lateral recess disposed in a nearer portion and a second lateral recess disposed in a portion closer to the front region in the front region or the excretory portion-facing region;
In the region overlapping the absorber in plan view, the region between lateral recesses sandwiched between the first lateral recess and the second lateral recess is adjacent to the region between lateral recesses in the longitudinal direction. 7. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the compression recovery is higher than the area.

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