JP7145263B1 - Folded absorbent articles and absorbent article wrappers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a folded absorbent article that can be easily unfolded from the folded state. A folded absorbent article 1 is folded back at a first longitudinal fold FA1 and a second longitudinal fold FA2 to be folded in three in the width direction, and from this state , folded back at the first width direction fold line FB1 to be folded in half in the longitudinal direction, and further folded back at the second width direction fold line FB2 to be folded in half in the longitudinal direction, thereby being folded into four in the longitudinal direction, The absorbent article 1 is divided into a short portion 12 and a long portion 13 across a first width-direction fold line FB1, and the short portion 12 is positioned inside the long portion 13 at the second width-direction fold line FB2. , the absorbent core 4 exists at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 is formed and the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 is formed. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention provides a folded absorbent article formed by unfoldably folding an absorbent article such as a tape-type disposable diaper or urine pad, and a packaging container containing the folded absorbent article. It relates to an absorbent article package.

Absorbent articles such as tape-type disposable diapers and urine pads are usually stored in packaging containers and sold at stores and the like. At this time, the absorbent article is accommodated in the packaging container in a folded state. For example, Patent Literatures 1 to 4 disclose absorbent articles folded by folding in three in the width direction and then in three in the longitudinal direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-41307 JP 2014-4173 A JP 2015-157047 A JP 2018-51140 A

A folded absorbent article needs to be unfolded before use, and at this time, it is desired that the folded absorbent article can be easily unfolded. For example, when a caregiver handles an absorbent article, it is desirable that the absorbent article can be smoothly unfolded from the folded state. It is desirable to be able to unfold the folded absorbent article smoothly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a folded absorbent article that can be easily unfolded from the folded state, and the folded absorbent article. An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article package in which an absorbent article is housed in a packaging container.

The absorbent article of the present invention that can solve the above problems is a folded absorbent article; An absorbent core is disposed; the absorbent article is laid out flat, with the skin surface side facing inward, and the first longitudinal direction so that both sides in the width direction overlap with the central portion therebetween. It is folded back at the directional crease and the second longitudinal crease and folded in three in the width direction, and from this state, it is folded back at the first width crease and folded twice in the longitudinal direction with both sides of the folded width direction facing inward. It is folded into four in the longitudinal direction by being folded in two and further folded back at the second width direction crease to be folded in half in the longitudinal direction; the first width direction crease is from the center in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article Formed at offset positions, the absorbent article is divided into a short portion and a long portion having a longer length in the longitudinal direction across the first width direction fold line; formed at a position where the part and the long part overlap, and in a state where the absorbent article is folded back at the second width direction fold line, the short part is positioned inside the long part at the second width direction fold line; The absorbent article is characterized in that the absorbent core is present at the position where the second widthwise fold of the short portion is formed and at the position where the second widthwise fold of the long portion is formed.

When the folded absorbent article of the present invention is unfolded from the folded state, the second width direction crease is unfolded first. At this time, by grasping the end of the long portion and unfolding the long portion at the second width direction crease, the short portion overlapping the inner side of the long portion appears. In the short portion, the absorbent core exists at the position where the second width direction fold line is formed. It becomes easier for the wrap at to expand naturally. In addition, since the absorbent article is folded back at the first longitudinal fold and the second longitudinal fold, and the absorbent core is present at the position where the second width fold is formed in the long portion, The cushioning property of the portion is enhanced, and the short portion is less likely to be directly strongly pressed from the outside of the folded absorbent article, and this also facilitates the natural folding of the short portion at the second width direction crease. . Therefore, in the absorbent article, the ends of the short portions can be easily grasped by unfolding the folds of the long portions at the second width direction creases. The folded absorbent article can be easily unfolded by grasping the end of the long portion and the end of the short portion and unfolding the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction.

The length in the longitudinal direction of the short portion is preferably 55% or more and 90% or less of the length in the longitudinal direction of the long portion. By forming the first width direction crease in this way, it becomes easier to form the second width direction crease at the position where the short portion and the long portion overlap, and when unfolding the folded absorbent article, When the long portion is unfolded at the second crease in the width direction, the ends of the short portion overlapped inside the long portion tend to stand up naturally.

In the absorbent article, it is preferable that the absorbent core is also present at the position where the first longitudinal fold of the short portion is formed and the position where the second longitudinal fold of the short portion is formed. As a result, when the absorbent article is folded, the thickness of the short portion is increased, the cushioning property is enhanced, and the short portion is less likely to be strongly pressed. As a result, the folding of the short portion at the second width direction crease is easily unfolded naturally.

The absorbent core is provided with an opening or recess, the opening or recess is formed at a position where the second widthwise fold of the long portion is formed, and is formed at a position where the second widthwise fold of the short portion is formed. is preferably not formed in the As a result, the short portion is less likely to be strongly pressed at the second width direction fold line, and when the long portion is unfolded at the second width direction fold line, the fold of the short portion overlapped inside the long portion is folded. Easier to spread naturally. In this case, the widthwise length of the opening or recess at the second widthwise fold of the long portion is preferably 10% or more and 60% or less of the widthwise length of the absorbent core.

The folded absorbent article of the present invention can also be applied to tape-type disposable diapers. In this case, the tape-type disposable diaper includes a diaper body configured by disposing an absorbent core between a top sheet and a back sheet, and fastening tapes provided on both sides in the width direction of the rear side portion of the diaper body. and a target tape provided on the front side portion of the diaper body, the target tape being provided on the outer surface side of the short portion, and the second width direction crease being formed at the position where the target tape is provided. is preferred. By forming the second width direction fold line at the position where the target tape is provided, the rigidity of the short portion at the second width direction fold line is increased, and when the folded absorbent article is unfolded, the long portion When the fold is unfolded at the second width-direction crease, the second width-direction crease of the short portion superimposed on the inside of the long portion is easily unfolded naturally.

It is preferable that the target tape is formed by providing loop portions having a planar mesh structure on a film substrate. If the target tape is formed in this manner, the thickness of the target tape can be reduced. Therefore, even if the second width-direction crease is formed at the position where the target tape is provided, the absorbent article can be easily folded back at the second width-direction crease.

The present invention also provides an absorbent article package in which a plurality of absorbent articles folded as described above are housed in a packaging container. According to the absorbent article package of the present invention, the folded absorbent article accommodated in the packaging container is not strongly pressed as a whole, and the first width direction fold side is not so strongly pressed. Therefore, it becomes easy to take out the folded absorbent article from the packaging container. On the other hand, the folded absorbent article is relatively strongly pressed on the second width direction fold side in the packaging container. can be easily deployed.

In the absorbent article package, a plurality of folded absorbent articles are stacked such that the first width direction creases face the same direction, and the packaging container has a take-out portion on the side to which the first width direction creases face. is preferably formed. In this case, the folded absorbent article can be taken out from the packaging container by grasping the first width direction crease side, but the first width direction crease side of the folded absorbent article is strongly pressed in the packaging container. Therefore, it is easy to grasp the first width direction crease side near the take-out portion by hand. Therefore, the folded absorbent article can be easily taken out from the packaging container.

In the absorbent article package, a plurality of folded absorbent articles are stacked such that the second width direction creases face the same direction, and the packaging container has a take-out portion on the side to which the second width direction creases face. It is also preferable to be able to form In this case, the folded absorbent article can be taken out from the packaging container by grasping the second width direction crease side, but the folded absorbent article can be removed from the first width direction crease on the side opposite to the take-out portion. Since the side is not strongly pressed in the packaging container, the folded absorbent article can be smoothly taken out from the packaging container by grasping the second width direction crease side and pulling it out a little.

The folded absorbent article of the present invention can be easily unfolded from the folded state.

1 shows an example of an absorbent article according to the present invention, showing a plan view of an absorbent article (urinary pad) in an unfolded state viewed from the top sheet side. FIG. 2 shows a II-II cross-sectional view of the absorbent article shown in FIG. 1; FIG. The top view of the state which folded the absorbent article shown in FIG. 1 into 3 in the width direction is represented. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the absorbent article shown in FIG. 3 is folded back at the first width direction crease and folded in two in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the absorbent article shown in FIG. 4 is further folded at the second width direction crease and folded into four in the longitudinal direction. Fig. 10 shows another example of the absorbent article according to the present invention, showing a plan view of the absorbent article (tape-type disposable diaper) in an unfolded state, viewed from the top sheet side. FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a state in which the absorbent article shown in FIG. 6 is folded in three in the width direction. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which the absorbent article shown in FIG. 7 is folded back at the first width direction crease and folded in two in the longitudinal direction. 1 represents an example of a diaper package in which folded absorbent articles are housed in a packaging container. Fig. 10 represents another example of a diaper package in which folded absorbent articles are housed in a packaging container.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a folded absorbent article, and more specifically, a so-called unfolded (open type) absorbent article such as a tape-type disposable diaper or a urine pad that is spread flat when worn. An article, which relates to a folded absorbent article formed by folding the absorbent article.

First, the basic configuration of the absorbent article used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 and 2 show a urine pad as an example of absorbent articles. The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an absorbent article (urinary pad) viewed from the top sheet side, and FIG. 2 shows a II-II sectional view of the absorbent article shown in FIG. In the drawings of the present application, the arrow x indicates the width direction, the arrow y indicates the longitudinal direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the arrows x and y indicates the thickness direction z. In FIG. 1, the upper side of the drawing corresponds to the front side of the absorbent article, and the lower side of the drawing corresponds to the rear side of the absorbent article.

The absorbent article 1 (1A) has a top sheet 2, a back sheet 3, and an absorbent core 4 provided therebetween. The top sheet 2 is a sheet that is arranged on the skin side of the absorbent core 4 and positioned on the wearer's side when the absorbent article is worn. The back sheet 3 is a sheet arranged on the outer surface side of the absorbent core 4 and located on the side opposite to the wearer when the absorbent article is worn. Urine and the like excreted by the wearer pass through the top sheet 2 and are accommodated by the absorbent core 4 . The back sheet 3 prevents excrement from leaking to the outside.

The absorbent article 1 has a longitudinal direction y and a width direction x. The longitudinal direction y corresponds to the direction extending in the front-rear direction between the wearer's crotch when the absorbent article is worn. The width direction x means a direction on the same plane as the absorbent article and orthogonal to the longitudinal direction y, and corresponds to the lateral direction of the wearer when wearing the absorbent article. In addition, the term "skin side" of the absorbent article means the side facing the skin of the wearer when wearing the absorbent article, and the term "outer side of the absorbent article" means the side facing the wearer's skin when wearing the absorbent article. means the side facing away from.

The topsheet 2 is preferably liquid permeable. The top sheet 2 may be, for example, a nonwoven fabric made of hydrophilic fibers such as cellulose, rayon, or cotton, or a hydrophobic material such as polyolefin (eg, polypropylene, polyethylene), polyester (eg, PET), polyamide (eg, nylon). A nonwoven fabric formed from hydrophobic fibers in which the surface of hydrophobic fibers is hydrophilized with a surfactant can be used. Moreover, as the top sheet 2, a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a perforated plastic film, or the like may be used.

The backsheet 3 is preferably liquid-impermeable. As the back sheet 3, a nonwoven fabric formed from hydrophobic fibers such as polyolefin (eg, polypropylene, polyethylene), polyester (eg, PET), polyamide (eg, nylon), plastic film, or the like can be used. A laminate of a nonwoven fabric and a plastic film can also be used as the back sheet 3 .

The absorbent core 4 is not particularly limited as long as it contains an absorbent material capable of absorbing excrement such as urine. As the absorbent core 4, for example, a molded body obtained by molding an absorbent material into a predetermined shape can be used. The absorbent core 4 may be covered with a cover sheet such as a paper sheet (for example, tissue paper or thin paper) or liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric. Examples of absorbent materials include hydrophilic fibers such as pulp fibers, and water absorbent resins such as polyacrylic acid-based, polyaspartic acid-based, cellulose-based, and starch-acrylonitrile-based materials. The absorbent material may also include polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyester fibers such as PET, and heat-fusible fibers such as polyamide fibers. These heat-fusible fibers are preferably hydrophilized with a surfactant or the like in order to increase affinity with urine or the like.

The absorbent material preferably contains hydrophilic fibers in order to increase the rate of absorption of urine and the like. In addition, since hydrophilic fibers are included in the absorbent material, the elasticity of the folded absorbent article 1 at the crease is increased, and the folded and unfolded absorbent article 1 is facilitated. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of increasing the absorption capacity, the absorbent material preferably contains a water absorbent resin. Therefore, the absorbent core 4 preferably contains hydrophilic fibers (especially pulp fibers) and a water-absorbing resin. For example, it is preferable to use an aggregate of hydrophilic fibers mixed with or sprayed with a water-absorbing resin. In this case, the absorbent core 4 preferably contains 10 parts by mass or more, more preferably 15 parts by mass or more, and preferably 150 parts by mass or less of the water-absorbent resin with respect to 100 parts by mass of the hydrophilic fiber. Part by mass or less is more preferable.

The shape (planar shape) of the absorbent core 4 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a rectangular shape, an hourglass shape, and a battledore shape. The absorbent core 4 is preferably formed in an hourglass shape from the viewpoint of making it difficult to be distorted even if it is sandwiched between the wearer's thighs and pressed in the width direction x. That is, it is preferable that the absorbent core 4 has a front side portion, a rear side portion, and an intermediate portion therebetween in the longitudinal direction y, and the intermediate portion is formed narrower than the front side portion and the rear side portion.

The mass per unit area of the absorbent core 4 is, for example, preferably 60 g/m ² or more, more preferably 75 g/m ² or more, even more preferably 80 g/m ² or more, and preferably 500 g/m ² or less. /m ² or less is more preferable, and 400 g/m ² or less is even more preferable. The weight per unit area of the hydrophilic fibers contained in the absorbent core 4 is preferably 60 g/m ² or more, more preferably 75 g/m ² or more, still more preferably 80 g/m ² or more, and 450 g/m ² or less. is preferred, 400 g/m ² or less is more preferred, and 350 g/m ² or less is even more preferred. When the absorbent core 4 is composed of multiple layers, it is preferable that the total mass per unit area of the multiple layers of the absorbent core 4 or the hydrophilic fibers contained therein is within such a range. If the absorbent core 4 is configured in this way, the absorbent article can be easily folded at the position where the absorbent core 4 exists, and the folded absorbent article is less likely to be creases. It should be noted that the mass per unit area of the absorbent core 4 or the hydrophilic fibers contained in the absorbent core 4 described above, when the absorbent core 4 is provided with openings or recesses as described later, is the weight of the openings or recesses. It means the mass per unit area of the absorbent core 4 or the hydrophilic fibers contained in the absorbent core 4 of the other portion.

The absorbent core 4 may be composed of a single layer or multiple layers. In the latter case, the absorbent core 4 may have an upper absorbent layer and a lower absorbent layer. If the absorbent core 4 is composed of a plurality of layers, even if the absorbent core 4 has a large mass per unit area, it becomes easy to fold the absorbent article along the predetermined crease.

The absorbent article 1 is preferably provided with rising flaps 7 on both sides in the width direction x on the skin surface side. By providing the rising flap 7, lateral leakage of urine or the like is prevented. For example, the rising flaps 7 are formed by joining side sheets 8 extending in the longitudinal direction y to both sides of the top sheet 2 in the width direction x, and attaching elastic members 9 for standing up to the inner portions of the side sheets 8 in the width direction x. It is formed by providing By providing the side sheet 8 and the standing elastic member 9 in this way, the contractile force of the standing elastic member 9 causes the inner portion of the side sheet 8 in the width direction x to rise toward the wearer's skin, and the rising flap. 7 is formed. The rising flap 7 or the side sheet 8 is preferably made of liquid-impermeable plastic film, liquid-impermeable non-woven fabric, or the like.

As the nonwoven fabric constituting each sheet described above, a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a point-bond nonwoven fabric, an air-through nonwoven fabric, a meltblown nonwoven fabric, an air-laid nonwoven fabric, a spunlaced nonwoven fabric, a tow-spread nonwoven fabric, an SMS nonwoven fabric, or the like can be used. The mass per unit area of each of these sheets is preferably 8 g/m ² or more, more preferably 10 g/m ² or more, and preferably 40 g/m ² or less, more preferably 30 g/m ² or less.

The absorbent article 1A is laid out flat as shown in FIG. 1, with the skin surface side facing inward, and the first absorbent article 1A is placed so that both side portions 10 in the width direction x overlap the central portion 11 therebetween. It is folded back at the longitudinal fold line FA1 and the second longitudinal fold line FA2, thereby being folded into three in the width direction x as shown in FIG. Specifically, when the absorbent article 1A is divided into three parts in the width direction x and divided into both side parts 10 in the width direction x and a central part 11 therebetween, the absorbent article 1A is spread with the top sheet 2 facing upward. In this state, both side portions 10 in the width direction x of the absorbent article 1A are folded back with the skin side facing inward, and overlapped with the central portion 11 . At this time, one of the side portions 10 in the width direction x of the absorbent article 1A is folded back along the first longitudinal fold FA1, and the other of the side portions 10 in the width direction x is folded back along the second longitudinal fold FA2. folded along. In the absorbent article 1A, portions outside the first longitudinal fold FA1 or the second longitudinal fold FA2 in the width direction x are both side portions 10, and the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are formed. The central portion 11 is the portion between the fold lines FA2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent article 1A is folded in three in the width direction x, and then folded back at the first width direction fold line FB1 with both sides 10 of the folded width direction x facing inward. As shown in FIG. 4, it is folded in two in the longitudinal direction y, and from this state, it is folded back in the second width direction folding line FB2 and folded in two in the longitudinal direction y, thereby four folds in the longitudinal direction y as shown in FIG. Folded. At this time, the first width-direction fold line FB1 is formed at a position shifted from the center of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y, and the absorbent article 1A sandwiches the first width-direction fold line FB1 in between the short portions 12 . and a long portion 13 longer than that in the longitudinal direction y. That is, in the absorbent article 1A, the short portion 12 is a portion having a short length in the longitudinal direction y on one side of the first width direction fold line FB1 (a portion on one side of the first width direction fold line FB1 in the longitudinal direction y). Thus, the long portion 13 is the portion on the other side of the first width direction fold line FB1 (the portion on the other side in the longitudinal direction y of the first width direction fold line FB1) that is longer in the longitudinal direction y. The second width-direction fold line FB2 is formed at a position where the short portion 12 and the long portion 13 overlap when the absorbent article 1A is folded at the first width-direction fold line FB1. 2, the short portion 12 is positioned inside the long portion 13 at the second width direction fold line FB2. By folding back the absorbent article 1A at the second width direction fold line FB2, the short portion 12 is folded back on the end side of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y across the second width direction fold line FB2. It is divided into a short portion 12A and a center side short portion 12B on the center side in the longitudinal direction y of the absorbent article 1A. It is divided into an end side long part 13A on the end side in the direction y and a center side long part 13B on the center side in the longitudinal direction y of the absorbent article 1A. In the absorbent article 1A, the absorbent core 4 is formed at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 is formed and at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 is formed. exist.

The absorbent article 1A can be easily unfolded by being folded in this way. To explain this in detail, when the absorbent article 1A is unfolded from the folded state, first, the second width direction crease FB2 is unfolded. At this time, by grasping the end side long portion 13A and unfolding the long portion 13 at the second width direction fold line FB2, the short portion 12 superimposed on the inside of the long portion 13 appears. . Since the short portion 12 has the absorbent core 4 at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 is formed, when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the short portion 12 is Folding back at the second width direction fold line FB2 becomes easier to develop naturally, and as a result, the end portion side short portion 12A becomes easier to stand up. Further, the short portion 12 is formed so that the length of the end portion side short portion 12A in the longitudinal direction y is relatively short, which also contributes to the end portion side short portion 12A being easily raised. Further, the absorbent article 1A is folded back at the first longitudinal fold line FA1 and the second longitudinal fold line FA2, and the absorbent core 4 is placed at the position where the second width fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 is formed. Therefore, the cushioning property of the long portion 13 is enhanced, and the short portion 12 is less likely to be strongly pressed directly from the outside of the folded absorbent article 1A. Folding at FB2 can be easily expanded naturally. Therefore, in the absorbent article 1A, by unfolding the long portion 13 at the second width direction fold line FB2, the end side short portion 12A can be easily grasped. Then, by grasping the end-side long portion 13A and the end-side short portion 12A by hand and expanding the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y, it becomes easy to unfold the folded absorbent article 1A.

Since the absorbent article 1A usually has a certain thickness, the above-described first longitudinal fold FA1, second longitudinal fold FA2, first width fold FB1, and second width fold FB2 Even if it is folded back, it does not always form a clear crease, and it may be folded back by folding at the crease, and such a case is also included in the fold in the present invention. Each crease can be determined by marking the position of the crease in the folded state of the absorbent article 1A, for example, the position of the tip of the crease in the vertical section in the extending direction of the crease. Further, the length between folds of the absorbent article 1A can be obtained by marking the positions of the folds and then completely unfolding the absorbent article 1A and measuring. When the absorbent article 1A is provided with an elastic member, the elastic member is cut finely, and the length is measured in a state in which the contractile force of the elastic member does not develop.

The first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 may be formed so as to extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction y, for example, extending at an angle of ±10° or less with respect to the longitudinal direction y. preferably present. If the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are formed in this manner, the absorbent article 1A can be easily folded into a substantially rectangular shape, and the folded absorbent article 1A can be easily handled. improves. When the elastic member is provided in the absorbent article 1A, particularly when the elastic member is provided so as to extend in the width direction x, the first longitudinal fold line FA1 and the second longitudinal fold line FA2 are formed by the elastic member. Due to the shrinkage force, it can occur that a part is formed to extend in a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction y. For example, when an elastic member extending in the width direction x is provided at the end of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y, the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are arranged in the longitudinal direction y. It may be formed so as to extend obliquely with respect to it. In this way, the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are arranged such that a part of the absorbent article 1A, such as both ends in the longitudinal direction y, extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction y. may be formed in

The folded absorbent article 1A is preferably folded only at the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 in the width direction x. That is, it is preferable that only the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are formed in the folded absorbent article 1A as folds extending in the longitudinal direction y. The length in the width direction x of the folded absorbent article 1A is preferably 30% or more, more preferably 35% or more, and 60% of the length in the width direction x of the absorbent article 1A before folding. The following is preferable, 50% or less is more preferable, and 45% or less is even more preferable.

The first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are formed over the short end portion 12A, the short center portion 12B, the long center portion 13B, and the long end portion 13A. More preferably, it is formed over the entire longitudinal direction y of the absorbent article 1A. In addition, the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 are preferably formed so as to cross the first width fold FB1, and are formed so as to cross the second width fold FB2. preferably formed. In this case, the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 intersect the second width fold FB2 of the short portion 12 and/or the second width fold FB2 of the long portion 13. It is preferable that it is formed so as to intersect both the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 and the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 .

The absorbent article 1A may or may not have an absorbent core 4 at the position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 is formed and at the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed. may Preferably, the absorbent article 1A has an absorbent core 4 at least partly where the first longitudinal fold FA1 is formed and at least partly where the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed. There is an absorbent core 4 in . This makes it easier to form the folded absorbent article 1A into a substantially rectangular shape, thereby improving the handleability of the folded absorbent article 1A. In addition, since the absorbent core 4 is not usually present at both ends of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y, the position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 is formed at both ends of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y and the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed, the absorbent core 4 may not be present. The first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 may also be provided transversely across the entire absorbent core 4 in the longitudinal direction y, or alternatively the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA1 may be arranged across the entire absorbent core 4 in the longitudinal direction y. A part of the longitudinal fold FA2 may be formed so as to be located outside the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x.

In the absorbent article 1A, the absorbent core 4 is present at the position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 of the short portion 12 is formed and the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 of the short portion 12 is formed. is preferred. As a result, when the absorbent article 1A is folded, the short portions 12 are thickened, the cushioning properties are improved, and the short portions 12 are less likely to be strongly pressed. Therefore, the short portion 12 is easily unfolded naturally at the second width-direction fold line FB2. More preferably, in the short portion 12 of the absorbent article 1A, the position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 intersects the second width fold FB2 and the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 intersects the second width fold There is an absorbent core 4 at the position where it intersects FB2.

In the absorbent article 1A, the absorbent core 4 exists at the position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 of the long portion 13 is formed and the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 of the long portion 13 is formed. preferably. Thereby, the long part 13 is thickened in the folded state of the absorbent article 1A to enhance the cushioning property, and the short part 12 is hardly pressed strongly from the outside of the folded absorbent article 1A. From the viewpoint that the folded absorbent article 1A is less likely to be strongly pressed from the outside, the absorbent article 1A is arranged at a position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 intersects the second width fold FB2 in the long portion 13. More preferably, the absorbent core 4 is present at the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 intersects the second width fold FB2.

On the other hand, in the absorbent article 1A, the central long portion 13B (that is, the portion between the first width fold FB1 and the second width fold FB2 of the long portion 13) has a first longitudinal fold FA1. The absorbent core 4 may be absent at least part of the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed, and the absorbent core 4 may be absent at least partly at the position where the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed. good too. Thereby, the thickness of the folded absorbent article 1A can be prevented from becoming excessively large, and the handleability of the folded absorbent article 1A can be improved. In this case, in the absorbent article 1A, it is preferable that the absorbent core 4 does not exist over the entire position where the first longitudinal fold FA1 is formed in the central long portion 13B, and the second longitudinal fold FA2 is formed. It is preferred that there is no absorbent core 4 throughout the position where the is formed.

The first width direction fold line FB1 and the second width direction fold line FB2 may be formed so as to extend substantially parallel to the width direction x, for example, extending at an angle of ±10° or less with respect to the width direction x. It is preferably present, more preferably within ±5°. If the first width direction fold line FB1 and the second width direction fold line FB2 are formed in this manner, the absorbent article 1A can be easily folded into a substantially rectangular shape, and the folded absorbent article 1A can be easily handled. improves. The folded absorbent article 1A is preferably folded only at the first width direction fold line FB1 and the second width direction fold line FB2 in the longitudinal direction y. That is, it is preferable that only the first width direction fold line FB1 and the second width direction fold line FB2 are formed as the fold lines extending in the width direction x in the folded absorbent article 1A.

As described above, the first width-direction fold line FB1 is formed at a position shifted from the center of the absorbent article 1A in the longitudinal direction y, and the first width-direction fold line FB1 allows the absorbent article 1A to 12 and a long portion 13 . Either the short portion 12 or the long portion 13 may correspond to the front side portion of the absorbent article 1A, and either may correspond to the rear side portion.

The absorbent article 1A is folded back at the first width direction fold line FB1 so that the length of the short portion 12 in the longitudinal direction y is 55% or more and 90% or less of the length of the long portion 13 in the longitudinal direction y. preferably By forming the first width-direction fold line FB1 in this manner, it becomes easier to form the second width-direction fold line FB2 at the position where the short portion 12 and the long portion 13 overlap, and the absorbent article 1A is folded into the second width direction. , the end portion side short portion 12A is easily formed to have an appropriate length in the longitudinal direction y. Therefore, when unfolding the folded absorbent article 1A, when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the end portion side short portion 12A overlapping the inside of the long portion 13 is unfolded. It becomes easy to stand up naturally, and it becomes easy to grasp the raised end side short portion 12A by hand. The length of the short portion 12 in the longitudinal direction y is preferably 60% or more, more preferably 65% or more, preferably 85% or less, and more preferably 80% or less of the length of the long portion 13 in the longitudinal direction y. .

It is preferable that the absorbent core 4 is present in the first width direction fold line FB1. That is, in the absorbent article 1A, the absorbent core 4 exists at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 is formed, and the absorbent core 4 exists at the position where the first width direction fold line FB1 is formed. is preferred. In addition, the absorbent core 4 only needs to be present in at least part of the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 is formed. The absorptive core 4 should just exist in at least one part of the position in which 1st width direction crease|fold FB1 is formed. For example, as will be described later, the absorbent core 4 is provided with an opening or recess, and the opening or recess is provided so as to intersect the first width direction fold line FB1 and/or the second width direction fold line FB2. good.

The second width direction fold line FB2 is preferably formed substantially at the center of the long portion 13 in the longitudinal direction y. By forming the second width-direction fold line FB2 in this way, the folded absorbent article 1A is arranged such that the edge in the longitudinal direction y of the end-side elongated portion 13A and the position of the first width-direction fold line FB1 are aligned. substantially coincide with each other, and the handleability of the folded absorbent article 1A can be improved. For example, the length in the longitudinal direction y of the end side long portion 13A is preferably 80% or more, more preferably 90% or more, and 95% of the length in the longitudinal direction y of the center side long portion 13B. 120% or less is more preferable, 110% or less is more preferable, and 105% or less is even more preferable.

As the short portion 12 is folded back at the second width direction fold line FB2, the length in the longitudinal direction y of the short portion 12A on the end side becomes shorter than the length in the direction y in the longitudinal direction of the short portion 12B on the center side. preferable. Accordingly, when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the end side short portion 12A tends to rise naturally. The length in the longitudinal direction y of the end side short portion 12A is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 20% or more, and preferably 80% or less, and 70% of the length in the longitudinal direction y of the center side short portion 12B. The following is more preferable, and 60% or less is even more preferable.

The absorbent core 4 has an upper absorbent layer and a lower absorbent layer, and the upper absorbent layer and the lower absorbent layer are hydrophilic so that the short portion 12 can be stably folded back at the second width direction fold line FB2. It is preferable that the hydrophilic fibers contained in the lower absorbent layer have a smaller mass per unit area than the hydrophilic fibers contained in the upper absorbent layer. In the folded absorbent article 1A, the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 is the innermost fold line. Therefore, when the short portion 12 is folded back at the second width direction fold line FB2, a large tension is likely to be applied to the short portion 12 across the second width direction fold line FB2. The fold is not folded straight at the fold FB2, and the fold is likely to be distorted. However, if the absorbent core 4 is formed as described above, the lower absorbent layer having a smaller hydrophilic fiber mass per unit area is positioned inside the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12. By positioning, the short portion 12 can be stably folded back at the second width direction fold line FB2.

The absorbent core 4 may be provided with apertures 5 . By providing the openings 5 in the absorbent core 4 , the openings 5 function as diffusion paths for urine and the like, and urine and the like can easily diffuse along the openings 5 . As a result, urine or the like is quickly absorbed by the absorbent core 4, and the absorbent core 4 easily contributes to the absorption of urine or the like over a wide range. Although not shown in the drawings, the absorbent core 4 may be provided with recesses instead of the openings 5 .

The opening 5 is provided through the absorbent core 4 in the thickness direction z. The concave portions are formed by partially reducing the basis weight (mass per unit area) of the absorbent core 4 . In this case, the recesses are preferably formed so that the basis weight is 60% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less, of the portion other than the recesses. When recesses are formed in the absorbent core 4 , the recesses may be formed on the surface of the absorbent core 4 on the side of the top sheet 2 or on the surface on the side of the back sheet 3 . When the absorbent core 4 is composed of an upper absorbent layer on the top sheet 2 side and a lower absorbent layer on the back sheet 3 side, an opening is formed in the upper absorbent layer, and the lower absorbent layer covers the opening. By providing, a recess may be formed in the absorbent core 4, or conversely, an opening is formed in the lower absorbent layer, and an upper absorbent layer is provided so as to cover the opening, so that the absorbent core 4 is provided with an opening. A recess may be formed. Preferably, the recesses are formed on the surface of the absorbent core 4 on the side of the top sheet 2 .

Preferred embodiments of the openings 5 provided in the absorbent core 4 will be described below, but the following description of the openings 5 also applies to recesses when the absorbent core 4 is provided with recesses.

The opening 5 is preferably provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction y. This makes it easier for urine and the like to diffuse along the opening 5 in the longitudinal direction y, making it easier for the absorbent core 4 to contribute to the absorption of urine and the like over a wide range in the longitudinal direction y.

Only one opening 5 may be provided in the absorbent core 4, or two or more openings 5 may be provided. The following are more preferred, and only one is even more preferred. When only one opening 5 is provided in the absorbent core 4, the opening 5 is preferably provided in the central portion of the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x so as to extend in the longitudinal direction y. When two openings 5 are provided in the absorbent core 4, the openings 5 are not provided in the central portion of the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x, but sandwich the central portion of the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x. It is preferable that they are provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction y on one side and the other side. When three openings 5 are provided in the absorbent core 4, the openings 5 are preferably provided in the central portion of the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x and on both sides thereof so as to extend in the longitudinal direction y. The central portion in the width direction x of the absorbent core 4 means a portion that includes the center line in the width direction x of the absorbent core 4 and extends in the longitudinal direction y along the center line.

The opening 5 is preferably formed at a position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 is formed. In this case, the absorbent core 4 intermittently exists at the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13, and a portion where the absorbent core 4 does not exist is formed. Therefore, when the absorbent article 1A is folded, the short portion 12 is less likely to be strongly pressed by the long portion 13 at the second width direction fold line FB2, thereby unfolding the folded absorbent article 1A. At this time, when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the end portion side short portion 12A overlapping the inside of the long portion 13 is easily unfolded naturally. In this case, the length of the opening 5 in the width direction x at the second width direction fold line F2 of the long portion 13 is preferably 10% or more of the length of the absorbent core 4 in the width direction x. % or more, more preferably 30% or more, preferably 60% or less, more preferably 55% or less, and even more preferably 50% or less. As a result, the short portion 12 is less likely to be strongly pressed by the long portion 13 at the second width direction fold line FB2, and when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the long portion 2nd width direction crease|fold FB2 of the short part 12 piled up inside 13 becomes easy to unfold naturally.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the opening 5 is not formed at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 is formed. Thereby, the absorbent core 4 exists continuously at the second width-direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12, and the rigidity at the second width-direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 is increased. Therefore, when unfolding the folded absorbent article 1A, when the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width direction fold line FB2, the end portion side short portion 12A overlapping the inside of the long portion 13 is unfolded. Easier to stand up naturally.

The opening 5 may or may not be present at the position where the first width direction fold line FB1 is formed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, if the opening 5 is provided from the second width direction fold line FB2 to the first width direction fold line FB1 of the elongated portion 13, the thickness of the folded absorbent article 1A is increased. It is partially reduced, and this reduced thickness portion is formed over the entire longitudinal direction y of the folded absorbent article 1A. Therefore, as will be described later, when the folded absorbent article 1A is accommodated in the packaging container, the folded absorbent article 1A is not strongly pressed at the portion where the opening 5 is formed, and the folded absorbent article 1A is folded. It becomes easy to take out the article 1A from the packaging container. In addition, when using the absorbent article 1A, urine and the like can be easily diffused over a wider range in the longitudinal direction y along the openings 5 .

Next, an example in which the folded absorbent article of the present invention is applied to a tape-type disposable diaper will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the absorbent article (tape-type disposable diaper) viewed from the top sheet side, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the absorbent article shown in FIG. 6 folded in three in the width direction. 8 shows a state in which the absorbent article shown in FIG. 7 is folded back along the first width direction crease and folded in two in the longitudinal direction. 6 to 8, the same constituent members as those of the absorbent article 1A shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are indicated using the same reference numerals. Also, in the following description, the description of the parts overlapping with the above description will be omitted.

The absorbent article 1 (1B) shown in FIG. and a target tape 19 which is mounted on the target tape. In FIG. 6, the fastening tape 16 attached to the right side of the diaper body 6 is unfolded, and the fastening tape 16 attached to the left side of the diaper body 6 is folded.

The diaper main body 6 is constructed by disposing the absorbent core 4 between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3, and has a front side portion, a rear side portion, and a crotch portion positioned therebetween with respect to the longitudinal direction y. . The front side portion, the crotch portion, and the rear side portion are defined by dividing the diaper main body 6 into three sections in the longitudinal direction y in a flat state, and in FIG. 6, the width direction x is formed short. The crotch portion is the crotch portion, the front portion is the front side portion, and the rear portion is the rear side portion.

The fastening tape 16 is configured by providing a fastener 18 on the skin surface side of the tape base material 17 and is detachable from a target tape 19 provided on the front side portion of the diaper body 6 . Specifically, the fastener 18 is provided on the skin surface side of the tape base material 17 in a state where the fastening tape 16 is unfolded. When the absorbent article 1B is worn, the front part is applied to the wearer's abdomen, the crotch part is applied to the wearer's crotch part, and the rear part is applied to the wearer's back, and the fastener 18 of the fastening tape 16 is absorbed. It can be attached by fixing to the target tape 19 on the front side of the functional article 1B.

The tape base material 17 can be composed of an arbitrary sheet member, and for example, nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, knitted fabric, resin film, or a laminate of these can be used. As the fastener 18, a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener or an adhesive tape can be used. When a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener is used as the fastener 18 , it is preferable to provide a loop member of the hook-and-loop fastener as the target tape 19 on the outer surface side of the front side portion of the diaper body 6 . When an adhesive tape is used as the fastener 18 , it is preferable to provide a resin film as the target tape 19 on the outer surface side of the front side portion of the diaper body 6 . A hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener is configured by, for example, protruding from a base a large number of engaging elements having shapes such as anchor, hook, and mushroom shapes. It is preferable that the fastener 18 is a hook member of a hook-and-loop fastener, and the tape base material 17 is made of nonwoven fabric. Moreover, it is preferable to use a hook-and-loop fastener loop member as the target tape 19 .

It is preferable that leg elastic members 14 extending in the longitudinal direction y are provided on both sides in the width direction x of the absorbent article 1B. The leg elastic members 14 can form gathers around the wearer's legs to enhance fit around the legs and prevent side leakage.

A waist elastic member 15 extending in the width direction x is preferably provided at the end of the absorbent article 1B in the longitudinal direction y. The waist elastic member 15 forms a waist gather around the wearer's waist to prevent leakage of urine or the like from the abdomen or back.

Similarly to the absorbent article 1A, the absorbent article 1B can also be folded by folding the absorbent article 1B in three in the width direction x and then four-fold in the longitudinal direction y. Specifically, from the state shown in FIG. 6, the diaper main body 6 is folded back along the first longitudinal fold line FA1 and the second longitudinal fold line FA2, and is folded in three in the width direction x as shown in FIG. From the state, it is folded back at the first width direction fold line FB1 to be folded in two in the longitudinal direction y as shown in FIG. It can be an absorbent article 1B. Note that in the absorbent article 1B, which is a tape-type disposable diaper, the rear side portion of the absorbent article 1B in FIG. It is preferable that the fastening tape 16 is folded back along the side edge in the width direction x of the diaper body 6 and folded so as to overlap the diaper body 6 like the fastening tape 16 attached to the left side of the diaper body 6 . Thereby, the absorbent article 1B can be folded without the fastening tape 16 becoming an obstacle.

Either the front side portion or the rear side portion of the absorbent article 1B may be the short portion 12 when the absorbent article 1B is folded back along the first width direction fold line FB1. It is preferable that the absorbent article 1B has a short portion 12 at the front side thereof, and a second width-direction fold FB2 is formed at a position where the target tape 19 is provided on the outer surface side of the short portion 12 . By folding the absorbent article 1B in this way, the rigidity of the short portion 12 at the second width direction fold line FB2 is increased, and when the folded absorbent article 1B is unfolded, the second width of the long portion 13 is increased. By unfolding the folding at the width direction fold line FB2, the second width direction fold line FB2 of the short portion 12 superimposed on the inner side of the long portion 13 is easily unfolded naturally.

The absorbent article 1B preferably has a first longitudinal fold FA1 and a second longitudinal fold FA2 at positions where the absorbent core 4 is present and where the target tape 19 is provided. By folding the absorbent article 1B in this way, the rigidity at the first longitudinal fold FA1 and the second longitudinal fold FA2 is increased at the position where the target tape 19 is provided. Therefore, when the folds of the folded absorbent article 1B at the first width direction fold line FA1 and the second width direction fold line FA2 are unfolded and widened in the longitudinal direction y, the first longitudinal direction fold line FA1 and the second width direction fold line FA1 are formed. The longitudinal crease FA2 is easily unfolded naturally.

The target tape 19 is preferably composed of a hook-and-loop fastener loop member. In this case, the hook member of the hook-and-loop fastener is used as the fastener 18 of the fastening tape 16, and the loop member of the hook-and-loop fastener, which is the target tape 19, is engaged with the engaging element of the hook member of the fastener 18 on the base. It is preferably configured with a possible loop portion. The loop is partly fixed to the base and partly unfixed to the base so that the engaging elements of the clasp 18 can engage the non-fixed part of the loop to the base. Each loop portion may form a closed ring, or a ring may be partially open and connected to adjacent loop portions.

It is preferable that the loop member used as the target tape 19 uses a film substrate as a substrate, and is formed by providing a planar mesh structure loop portion on the film substrate. A mesh structure is formed on the film base material by threads, and the mesh structure is partly fixed to the base material and the other part is not fixed to the base material, so that the non-fixed part functions as a loop part. do. The loop member of the hook-and-loop fastener is usually formed so that the base and the loop part have a certain amount of thickness. , the thickness of the target tape 19, which is a hook-and-loop fastener, can be reduced. Therefore, even if the second width-direction fold line FB2 is formed at the position where the target tape 19 is provided, the absorbent article 1B can be easily folded back at the second width-direction fold line FB2.

The film substrate and the threads forming the network structure can be made of resin materials such as polyolefins (eg, polypropylene, polyethylene), polyesters (eg, PET), and polyamides (eg, nylon). The mass per unit area of the film substrate is preferably 35 g/m ² or less, more preferably 30 g/m ² or less, and even more preferably 28 g/m ² or less. Even if two width direction fold lines FB2 are formed, the absorbent article 1B can be easily folded back at the second width direction fold lines FB2. From the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the target tape 19, the lower limit of the mass per unit area of the film substrate is preferably 10 g/m ² or more, more preferably 12 g/m ² or more. The mass per unit area of the entire target tape 19 is preferably 15 g/m ² or more, more preferably 20 g/m ² or more, and preferably 60 g/m ² or less, more preferably 55 g/m ² or less, and 50 g/m 2 or less. ² or less is more preferable.

The target tape 19 is preferably attached to the front side of the diaper body 6 with an adhesive. As the adhesive, for example, a hot melt adhesive can be used. Hot-melt adhesives include, for example, rubber-based adhesives such as natural rubber, butyl rubber, and polyisoprene; styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (SIS), styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS), Styrene-based elastomers such as styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) and styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene block copolymer (SEPS); urethane adhesives and the like are preferably used as the base polymer. Also, the base polymer may be blended with ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyester, acrylic elastomer, polyolefin elastomer, or the like to adjust adhesiveness and fluidity.

The application pattern of the adhesive on the target tape 19 is not particularly limited. The target tape 19 may be coated with an adhesive over substantially the entire surface thereof, or may be coated with an adhesive in a predetermined pattern. Examples of adhesive coating methods that can be used include a bead method, a slot coating method, a curtain spray method, an omega coating method, a spiral coating method, and a pattern coating method. For example, if the adhesive is applied to substantially the entire surface of the target tape 19 , the target tape 19 can be strongly adhered to the diaper body 6 . On the other hand, if the adhesive is applied to the target tape 19 in a striped pattern, the non-bonded portion between the target tape 19 and the diaper body 6 can function as a ventilation path, and the front side portion of the diaper body 6 can be ventilated. can enhance sexuality. The direction in which the stripes of the striped adhesive pattern extend may be the width direction x or the longitudinal direction y. In the former case, a second width-direction fold line FB2 is formed at the position where the target tape 19 is provided, and when the absorbent article 1B is folded at the second width-direction fold line FB2, the absorbent article 1B can be easily folded. In the latter case, the second width direction fold line FB2 is formed at the position where the target tape 19 is provided, and when the folded absorbent article 1B is unfolded, the long portion 13 is folded at the second width direction fold line FB2. When unfolded, the end portion side short portion 12A superimposed on the inner side of the long portion 13 tends to rise naturally.

The present invention also provides an absorbent article package in which a plurality of absorbent articles 1 folded as described above are housed in a packaging container. As described above, the folded absorbent article 1 of the present invention is folded at the first width direction fold line FB1 so that the short portion 12 and the long portion 13 are formed, and further folded at the second width direction fold line FB1. Since it is folded back at the folding line FB2, the thickness of the folded state is uneven. Specifically, the folded absorbent article 1 is formed thicker on the second width direction fold line FB2 side than on the first width direction fold line FB1 side. Therefore, when the folded absorbent article 1 is accommodated in the packaging container, the entire folded absorbent article 1 is not strongly pressed, and the first width direction fold line FB1 side is not so strongly pressed. This facilitates taking out the folded absorbent article 1 when taking out the folded absorbent article 1 from the packaging container. On the other hand, the folded absorbent article 1 is relatively strongly pressed on the second width direction fold line FB2 side in the packaging container. 1 can be easily unfolded. That is, when the folded absorbent article 1 is taken out of the packaging container and the long portion 13 is unfolded at the second width fold line FB2, the short portion 12 is folded at the second width fold line FB2. Easier to spread naturally. Therefore, the absorbent article 1 can be easily grasped at the end side short portion 12A, and the absorbent article 1 can be moved in the longitudinal direction y by grasping the end side long portion 13A and the end side short portion 12A by hand. By unfolding, the folded absorbent article 1 can be easily unfolded.

The packaging container is not particularly limited as long as it can accommodate the folded absorbent article 1, and examples thereof include plastic film bags, paper bags, plastic hard containers, cardboard, and the like. In particular, when the packaging container is made of a soft material (for example, plastic film, paper, etc.), the folded absorbent article 1 can be accommodated in the packaging container in a more compressed state. According to this, even in such a case, it becomes easy to take out the folded absorbent article 1 from the packaging container.

It is preferable that a plurality of folded absorbent articles 1 are stacked and stored in a bundle in the packaging container. In the bundle, the plurality of folded absorbent articles 1 are all oriented in the same direction (for example, the first width direction fold line FB1 is positioned on the same side, or the second width direction fold line FB2 is positioned on the same side). ) are preferably stacked.

Only one bundle of absorbent articles 1 or two or more bundles of absorbent articles 1 may be accommodated in the packaging container. In the latter case, the bundle of folded absorbent articles 1 may be vertically stacked in multiple stages in the packaging container, may be arranged side by side in the left and right, or may be a combination thereof.

The packaging container preferably has a take-out portion. The take-out portion of the packaging container may be formed, for example, by forming perforations in the packaging container and cutting the packaging container along the perforations. can be done. Alternatively, a cutting line may be provided on the packaging container, a seal may be affixed along the cutting line, and the seal may be peeled off to cut the packaging container along the cutting line to form the take-out portion. Alternatively, an opening may be provided in the packaging container as the take-out portion, and a cover may be provided to block the opening or a seal may be attached, and the take-out portion may be formed by removing the cover or peeling off the seal. In either case, it is sufficient that the packaging container is capable of forming an extraction portion.

The extraction part can be formed, for example, on the top surface or the side surface of the packaging container. The take-out part may be formed on the side facing the first longitudinal fold FA1 or the second longitudinal fold FA2 with respect to the folded absorbent article 1 housed in the packaging container, It may be formed on the side facing the first width direction fold line FB1 or the second width direction fold line FB2, and the surface on the side of the end side long part 13A or the side on the side of the central side long part 13B faces. It may be formed on the side. In addition, it is preferable that the take-out part can be formed on the side facing the first width direction fold line FB1 or the second width direction fold line FB2, whereby the folded absorbent article 1 is taken out from the packaging container. In addition, it becomes easy to take out two or more absorbent articles 1 at a time.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show configuration examples of the absorbent article package formed in this way. 9 and 10 schematically show a side view of the absorbent article package, and the folded absorbent article accommodated in the container may be invisible from the outside of the container. However, it is represented by a solid line for easy understanding. "..." in the drawing indicates that a plurality of folded absorbent articles are arranged in the same manner as on both sides thereof.

A plurality of folded absorbent articles 1 are stacked to form a bundle, and the folded absorbent articles 1 are housed in a packaging container 22 in the form of a bundle to form an absorbent article package 21. be. By storing the folded absorbent article 1 in the packaging container 22 in this way, the folded absorbent article 1 can be packed at a high density, and the folded absorbent article 1 can be taken out from the packaging container 22. becomes easier.

A plurality of folded absorbent articles 1 are preferably stacked such that the first width-direction fold lines FB1 face the same direction and the second width-direction fold lines FB2 face the same direction. Adjacent folded absorbent articles 1 may be stacked such that the central long portion 13B and the end long portion 13A face each other. 13B may face each other, or the end-side long part 13A and the end-side long part 13A may face each other. 9 and 10, adjacent folded absorbent articles 1 are stacked such that the central long portion 13B and the end long portion 13A face each other.

The packaging container 22 can form a take-out part for taking out the folded absorbent article 1 housed inside. In the absorbent article package 21 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, perforations 23 are formed in the packaging container 22, and by cutting the packaging container 22 along the perforations 23, the upper surface of the packaging container 22 ( upper side) is formed with an extraction part.

It is preferable that the packaging container 22 can be formed with an extraction portion on the side facing the first width direction fold line FB1 or the side facing the second width direction fold line FB2. By forming the absorbent article package 21 in this way, when the folded absorbent article 1 is taken out from the packaging container 22, the first width direction fold line FB1 or the second width direction fold line FB2 is grasped. The folded absorbent article 1 can be removed from the packaging container 22 . In addition, since the folded absorbent article 1 is not strongly pressed on the side of the first width direction fold line FB1 within the packaging container 22, it can be easily taken out of the packaging container 22. FIG.

In the absorbent article package 21 shown in FIG. 9, the packaging container 22 can be formed with a take-out portion on the side facing the first width direction fold line FB1. Specifically, the folded absorbent article 1 is housed in the packaging container 22 with the first width direction fold line FB1 facing upward and the second width direction fold line FB2 facing downward. , the take-out portion can be formed on the upper side facing the first width direction fold line FB1. In the absorbent article package 21 shown in FIG. 9, the folded absorbent article 1 can be taken out from the packaging container 22 by grasping the first width direction fold line FB1 side. is not strongly pressed in the packaging container 22, it becomes easy to grasp the first width direction fold line FB1 near the take-out portion by hand. Therefore, the folded absorbent article 1 can be easily taken out from the packaging container 22 . In addition, since the folded absorbent article 1 is accommodated in the packaging container 22 so that the thick second width-direction fold line FB2 faces downward, the folded absorbent article 1 is arranged in an upright position. It can be stably accommodated in the packaging container 22 in a folded state. In particular, in the folded absorbent article 1, if an opening or a recess is formed in the absorbent core 4 at the position where the second width direction fold line FB2 of the long portion 13 is formed, the folded absorbent article 1 will be folded. The articles 1 can be more stably accommodated in the packaging container 22 in a state of being arranged upright. Therefore, it becomes easy to take out the folded absorbent article 1 from the packaging container 22 .

In the absorbent article package 21 shown in FIG. 10, the packaging container 22 can be formed with a take-out portion on the side facing the second width direction fold line FB2. Specifically, the folded absorbent article 1 is housed in the packaging container 22 with the second width direction fold line FB2 facing upward and the first width direction fold line FB1 facing downward. , the take-out portion can be formed on the upper side facing the second width direction fold line FB2. In the absorbent article package 21 shown in FIG. 10, the folded absorbent article 1 can be taken out from the packaging container 22 by grasping the side of the second width direction fold line FB2. Since the width direction fold line FB1 side of 1 is not strongly pressed in the packaging container 22, the absorbent article 1 smoothly folded from the packaging container 22 can be obtained by grasping the second width direction fold line FB2 side and pulling it out a little. can be taken out. In particular, if the absorbent core 4 is formed with an opening or recess at the position where the second width fold line FB2 of the elongated portion 13 is formed, the folded absorbent article 1 is folded in the second width direction. Even if the fold line FB2 side is strongly pressed in the packaging container 22, it becomes easy to grasp the second width direction fold line FB2 side. Therefore, it becomes easy to take out the folded absorbent article 1 from the packaging container 22 .

1, 1A, 1B: Absorbent article 2: Top sheet 3: Back sheet 4: Absorbent core 5: Opening 6: Diaper main body 10: Both sides 11: Central part 12: Short part 12A: End side short part 12B: Center side short part 13: Long part 13A: End side long part 13B: Center side long part 16: Fastening tape 17: Tape substrate 21: Absorbent article package 22: Packaging container FA1 : first longitudinal fold (first longitudinally extending fold)
FA2: Second Longitudinal Fold (Second Longitudinal Fold)
FB1: First width direction crease (first crease extending in the width direction)
FB2: Second width direction fold (second width direction fold)

Claims (10)

A folded absorbent article comprising:
The absorbent article has a width direction and a longitudinal direction, and is configured by disposing an absorbent core between a top sheet and a back sheet,
The absorbent article is laid out flat, with the skin side facing inward, and the first longitudinal fold and the second longitudinal fold are formed such that both sides in the width direction overlap with the central portion therebetween. and folded in three in the width direction, from this state, with both sides in the folded width direction facing inward, it is folded back in the first width direction fold and folded in two in the longitudinal direction, and further in the second width direction It is folded in four in the longitudinal direction by being folded back at the crease and folded in two in the longitudinal direction,
The first width direction fold line is formed at a position shifted from the center in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, and the absorbent article has a short portion with the first width direction fold line interposed therebetween and a short portion in the longitudinal direction. It is divided into a long part with a long length,
The second width direction fold line is formed at a position where the short portion and the long portion overlap each other, and in a state in which the absorbent article is folded at the second width direction fold line, the second width direction fold line is folded. The short portion is located inside the long portion at the crease, and the absorbent article is divided into an end side short portion and a center side short portion with the short portion sandwiching the second width direction crease. , the long portion is divided into an end side long portion and a center side long portion across the second width direction fold line,
The length in the longitudinal direction of the end side long portion is 90% or more and 110% or less of the length in the longitudinal direction of the center side long portion,
The absorbent article has a position where the second width direction crease of the short portion is formed, a position where the second width direction crease of the long portion is formed, and a first longitudinal direction of the short portion. An absorbent article , wherein the absorbent core is present at a position where a directional fold is formed and at a position where the second longitudinal fold of the short portion is formed. A folded absorbent article comprising:
The absorbent article has a width direction and a longitudinal direction, and is configured by disposing an absorbent core between a top sheet and a back sheet,
The absorbent article is laid out flat, with the skin side facing inward, and the first longitudinal fold and the second longitudinal fold are formed such that both sides in the width direction overlap with the central portion therebetween. and folded in three in the width direction, from this state, with both sides in the folded width direction facing inward, it is folded back in the first width direction fold and folded in two in the longitudinal direction, and further in the second width direction It is folded in four in the longitudinal direction by being folded back at the crease and folded in two in the longitudinal direction,
The first width direction fold line is formed at a position shifted from the center in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, and the absorbent article has a short portion with the first width direction fold line interposed therebetween and a short portion in the longitudinal direction. It is divided into a long part with a long length,
The second width direction fold line is formed at a position where the short portion and the long portion overlap each other, and in a state in which the absorbent article is folded at the second width direction fold line, the second width direction fold line is folded. The short portion is located inside the long portion at the fold,
In the absorbent article, the absorbent core is present at a position where the second width direction crease of the short portion is formed and a position where the second width direction crease of the long portion is formed. ,
The absorbent core is provided with openings or recesses,
The opening or recess is formed at a position where the second width-direction fold of the long portion is formed, and is not formed at a position where the second width-direction fold of the short portion is formed. Absorbent article. The absorbent core is provided with openings or recesses,
2. The opening or recess is formed at a position where the second widthwise fold of the long portion is formed, and is not formed at a position where the second widthwise fold of the short portion is formed. Absorbent article according to . 4. The widthwise length of the opening or recess at the second widthwise fold of the long portion is 10% or more and 60% or less of the widthwise length of the absorbent core. Absorbent article according to. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the length in the longitudinal direction of the short portion is 55% or more and 90% or less of the length in the longitudinal direction of the long portion. The absorbent article is a tape-type disposable diaper, and includes a diaper body having an absorbent core disposed between a top sheet and a back sheet, and absorbent cores provided on both sides in the width direction of the rear side portion of the diaper body. and a target tape provided on the front side of the diaper body,
The target tape is provided on the outer surface side of the short portion,
The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second width-direction crease is formed at a position where the target tape is provided. 7. The disposable diaper according to claim 6, wherein the target tape is formed by providing loop portions having a planar mesh structure on a film substrate. A package for absorbent articles comprising a plurality of folded absorbent articles according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 contained in a packaging container. A plurality of the folded absorbent articles are stacked such that the first width direction folds face the same direction,
9. The absorbent article package according to claim 8, wherein the packaging container is capable of forming a take-out portion on the side facing the first width direction crease. A plurality of the folded absorbent articles are stacked such that the second width direction folds face the same direction,
9. The absorbent article package according to claim 8, wherein the packaging container can be formed with a take-out portion on the side facing the second width direction crease.

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