JP7436222B2 - Individual packaging for absorbent articles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to individual packaging for absorbent articles.

Individually wrapped absorbent products such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, and disposable diapers are individually wrapped by wrapping each absorbent product in a packaging sheet and sealing the edges of the packaging sheet with tab tape. Are known. By packaging absorbent articles individually, absorbent articles can be carried one by one easily and hygienically.

When carrying it around, it must be concealable so that the contents cannot be seen from the outside. When the packaging sheet is composed of a film, if the basis weight of the packaging sheet is low, the absorbent article that is the contents will be transparent and visible from the outside. Conventional individual packaging bodies are intended for packaging absorbent articles when they are not in use, but they are also used to wrap used absorbent articles in packaging sheets when discarding them. However, tab tape that has been peeled off once during use does not have good resealability.

Patent Document 1 includes a napkin main body folded so that the back sheet faces outward, and a packaging sheet that wraps the napkin main body, a pattern is provided on the outer surface of the back sheet, and the pattern is shown through the packaging sheet. An individual package is disclosed in which the packaging sheet is set to a predetermined transparency so that it can be recognized from the outside. Patent Document 2 includes a napkin body folded so that the backsheet faces outward, and a packaging sheet that wraps the napkin body, a pattern is provided on the outer surface of the backsheet, and the packaging sheet has a haze value of about 60. discloses an individual packaging body using a white translucent nonwoven fabric or the like.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose that, according to these individual packages, by providing a pattern on the back sheet, stains of menstrual blood absorbed by the used absorbent article can be hidden, and It is stated that the appearance of the absorbent article can be concealed before and after opening the package. However, although the pattern on the outer surface of the top sheet has a certain effect in concealing the contents (absorbent articles) before opening the individual package, it is inevitable that the contents will be seen through, and when used. The same problem occurs when the product is later wrapped in a packaging sheet and disposed of, which is not fully satisfactory from the viewpoint of hiding the contents.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-185858 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-199786

Individual packages for absorbent articles are required to have concealability so that the contents cannot be seen from the outside when being carried. In particular, if a nonwoven fabric or film with a thin thickness and/or a low basis weight is used as a packaging sheet with emphasis on portability, the absorbent article that is the contents will be easily visible from the outside. In addition, when disposing of used absorbent products wrapped in individual wrapping sheets, separate tape or other sealing tape is required, as tab tape that has been peeled off does not have good resealability. This is especially inconvenient when you are out and about.

An object of the present invention is to provide an individual package for an absorbent article that has high concealability and good resealability.

As a result of intensive research aimed at solving the above problems, the present inventor discovered that by using a specific composite nonwoven fabric, an individual package for an absorbent article that meets the purpose can be obtained, and has completed the present invention. reached. As a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides individually packaged absorbent articles as described in (1) to (4) below.

(1) An individual package for an absorbent article, comprising an absorbent article, a packaging sheet that wraps the absorbent article, and a joint that joins an unsealed end of the packaging sheet, wherein the packaging sheet is , a pulp-containing composite non-woven fabric having a non-woven fabric and a wood pulp layer laminated on at least one surface of the non-woven fabric, the joint is a hook tape, and the pulp-containing composite non-woven fabric has low opacity. Individual packaging of absorbent articles having a content of 75% or more.
(2) The individual packaging for an absorbent article according to (1) above, wherein the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric is arranged such that the wood pulp layer is on the outer surface of the individual packaging.
(3) The individual package of the absorbent article according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 30 g/m ² or more and 80 g/m ² or less.
(4) In the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric is a spunbond nonwoven fabric with a basis weight of 7 g/m ² or more and 30 g/m ² or less, and the wood pulp layer has a basis weight of 30 g/m ² or more and 70 g/m ² The absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the weight composition ratio of the spunbond nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer is 40/60% by weight or more and 10/90% by weight or less. Individual packaging.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an individual package for an absorbent article that has high concealability and good resealability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of an individual package of absorbent articles according to a first embodiment of the present invention before folding. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an individual package of an absorbent article according to the first embodiment of the present invention, folded along the XX folding line and the YY folding line in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of commercialization of an individual package of absorbent articles according to the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, the individual wrapper 1 for absorbent articles according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an individual package 1 of an absorbent article according to the first embodiment before folding. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the width direction of the individually wrapped absorbent article 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the individually packaged absorbent article 1 according to the first embodiment as a product.

In this specification, it is defined as follows. Wearing the absorbent article 10 refers to a state in which the absorbent article 10 is worn on the body, regardless of whether before, during, or after absorbing bodily fluids. The longitudinal direction is a direction that spans the front and back of the wearer when the absorbent article 10 is worn, the width direction is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the thickness direction is a direction that extends along a plane including the longitudinal direction and the width direction. The direction is approximately perpendicular to the direction. When the absorbent article 10 is worn, the surface that contacts or faces the wearer's skin is defined as the skin side, and the surface that contacts or faces the wearer's clothing is defined as the non-skin side. In addition, body fluids refer to fluids discharged from the body, such as urine, blood, and water in loose stools. Further, FIGS. 1 to 3 do not define the dimensions and shapes of each component of the individual package 1 of the absorbent article according to the present embodiment.

An individual package 1 for an absorbent article according to the present embodiment (hereinafter also simply referred to as "individual package 1") includes an absorbent article 10 and a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric as a packaging sheet 11 for wrapping the absorbent article 10. and a hook tape as a joining section 12 that joins the surface 11x of the packaging sheet 11 and its unsealing side end 23. In the present embodiment, the absorbent article 10 is arranged such that the non-skin side of the backsheet 17 faces the packaging sheet 11 and faces outward; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the skin side of the top sheet 16 faces outward. It may be placed so as to face the

In the individual packaging body 1 of this embodiment, the surface 11x of the packaging sheet 11 and its unsealing side end 23 are joined by a joint 12 (hook tape) to form the individual packaging body 1. On the other hand, conventional individual packaging bodies are provided with, for example, a dot-shaped joint portion in which a plurality of dots are arranged, from the viewpoint of improving the unsealability. However, in dot-shaped joints, strong pressure bonding is inevitably performed on the surface area forming the joint, and the degree of pressure bonding may be too high from the viewpoint of bonding performance, which may actually reduce unsealability. . In other words, conventional individual packaging does not have a sufficient balance of high bonding properties and good peelability (openability) when opened, and furthermore, once the dot-shaped joints are opened, it is difficult to reseal them. be. Further, when the entire surface of the unsealed end of the packaging sheet covering the absorbent article is continuously sealed, the bondability is significantly improved. However, in this case, since the area where the packaging sheets are adhered to each other becomes large, the unsealability decreases as much as the bondability improves, and it is not possible to obtain resealability. That is, conventional individual packages not only fail to achieve both bondability and unsealability, but also do not give any consideration to resealability.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, by using a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric with an opacity of 75% or more (hereinafter also simply referred to as "pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric") as the packaging sheet 11, the concealing property of the absorbent article 10 can be improved. Increased protection. Although the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has high opacity as described above, it is highly flexible and can be used in all packaging forms, so it can be suitably used as the packaging sheet 11. In addition, since the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has body fluid absorbency, when the used absorbent article 10 is wrapped in the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric again and disposed of, body fluids may leak from the used absorbent article 10. Even if something happens, it can be absorbed and retained, improving the confidentiality of personal privacy. Furthermore, the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has strength that can withstand resealing even after bonding with hook tape and opening. Therefore, by using a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric as the packaging sheet 11, it is possible to obtain an individual package 1 for an absorbent article 10 that has excellent concealment properties, protection properties, resealability, confidentiality of personal privacy, etc. can.

In this embodiment, the bondability of the sealed portion of the individual package 1 (the surface 11 It refers to the resistance to peeling due to external forces such as rubbing and twisting that are applied when carrying a product in a bag or bag. In the present embodiment, the unsealability of the sealed portion (junction 12) of the individual wrapper 1 refers to the ease with which the user unfolds the individual wrapper 1 by hand when using the absorbent article 10. It refers to the ease with which the opening operation of peeling off the opening side end 23 of the sealed portion (joint portion 12) of the sheet 11 is possible.
Each component of the individual package 1 of this embodiment will be explained in more detail below.

(Absorbent article)
The absorbent article 10 is individually folded in the width direction along one or more folding lines extending in the width direction of the absorbent article 10, such as folding line XX and folding line YY. It is enclosed within the package 1. The position of the folding line extending in the width direction is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set at any position in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10. Further, the folding line is not limited to the folding line extending in the width direction, and one or more folding lines extending in the longitudinal direction may be provided to fold in the longitudinal direction.

The absorbent article 10 of the present embodiment is constructed along the folding line XX and the folding line YY, with the skin side of the top sheet 16 inward, one longitudinal end, the other end 21, 22, and the respective widths. The peripheral regions extending in the direction are folded into an inverted U-shape and a U-shape, respectively, and folded so that one end 21 and its peripheral region and the other end 22 and its peripheral region overlap by a predetermined width in the thickness direction. It is. Note that one end of the packaging sheet 11 may or may not be interposed between the one end 21 and its surrounding area and the other end 22 and its surrounding area. Note that the folding of the absorbent article 10 is not particularly limited as described above, and may be performed by setting one or more arbitrary folding lines. In the present embodiment, the absorbent article 10 is folded in three in the longitudinal direction in an inverted U-shape and in a U-shape, but the invention is not limited thereto. May be folded.

The absorbent article 10 includes, for example, a liquid-permeable top sheet 16, a permeable back sheet 17, and a body fluid absorber (not shown) disposed between them; Examples include absorbent articles that further include an exterior body. These absorbent articles may include, for example, three-dimensional gathers, leg gathers (not shown), and the like.

A liquid-permeable base material can be used as the top sheet 16, such as a thermal bond nonwoven fabric, a nonwoven fabric such as a laminate of a thermal bond nonwoven fabric and a spunbond nonwoven fabric, an open film such as an open polyethylene film, polyethylene foam, or urethane foam. Examples include foamed films such as, and multilayer sheets made by laminating two or more of these. The top sheet 16 can be subjected to methods such as embossing and perforation, and the addition of modifiers such as lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory ingredients, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, and humectants.

A liquid-impermeable base material can be used as the backsheet 17, such as nonwoven fabrics such as spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric/meltblown nonwoven fabric laminate, spunbond nonwoven fabric/meltblown nonwoven fabric/spunbond nonwoven fabric laminate, Examples include resin films such as polyester film, polyvinyl alcohol film, polyethylene film, polypropylene film, and composite film of polyethylene and polypropylene. The backsheet 17 can be subjected to a known method to improve liquid impermeability. Further, the backsheet 17 may be made porous to impart moisture permeability.

A concealing layer (not shown) may be provided on a part or the entirety of the non-skin side surface 17a of the backsheet 17. The concealing layer is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, a layer with patterns such as geometric patterns, character patterns, pictures, floral patterns, animal patterns, plant patterns, anime patterns, paintings, and combinations of two or more of these, or one type or another. Examples include colored layers consisting of two or more colors. The hiding layer is formed by, for example, printing. This further improves the concealability of the absorbent article 10.

As the body fluid absorber, for example, those commonly used in absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, and urine pads can be used without particular restriction, such as fluff pulp, super absorbent polymers, etc. It is formed from a material such as a hydrophilic sheet (also referred to as "SAP"). Examples of fluff pulp include those obtained by defibrating wood pulp and non-wood pulp such as synthetic fibers and polymer fibers into fluff. In addition, examples of superabsorbent polymers include sodium polyacrylate, and examples of hydrophilic sheets include tissue, absorbent paper, and hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Alternatively, a body fluid absorber in which a superabsorbent polymer is fixed and/or supported on a fiber aggregate made of tow may be used. The body fluid absorber may be composed of two or more layers, and the body fluid absorber may be wrapped in a hydrophilic sheet.

As specific examples of the absorbent article 10, any currently commercially available absorbent article can be used, regardless of whether it is for babies, middle-aged adults, adults, or pets, such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, Examples include light incontinence pads, pants-type disposable diapers, tape-fastened disposable diapers, belly band-type disposable diapers, and urine absorbing pads.

(packaging sheet)
In the individual packaging body 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Also used is one that is longer by a predetermined dimension. It is preferable that the predetermined dimension in the longitudinal direction is appropriately selected so as to sufficiently cover the folded absorbent article 10 and allow the joint portion 12 to be set. It is preferable that the predetermined dimension in the width direction is appropriately selected so as to cover the absorbent article 10 so as to enhance the concealability of the absorbent article 10 in the width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging sheet 11 of this embodiment is stacked so as to be in contact with the non-skin side surface 17a of the back sheet 17 of the absorbent article 10, with the skin side surface of the top sheet 16 facing inside. The absorbent article 10 is then folded in three along the folding lines XX and YY, and in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10, the area that extends beyond the other longitudinal end 22 of the absorbent article 10 and becomes the joint 12 is the remaining (or is configured to extend).

The packaging sheet 11 of this embodiment includes a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric having an opacity of 75% or more. By using a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric having such opacity as the packaging sheet 11, the concealability of the absorbent article 10 in the individual package 1 is significantly improved. When the opacity is less than 75%, the concealability of the absorbent article 10 enclosed in the individual package 1 tends to decrease. Opacity is a value measured based on JIS P 8148:2018 (ISO2470-1:2016).

The pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric includes a nonwoven fabric and a wood pulp layer laminated on at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric. A pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric of a preferred embodiment includes a nonwoven fabric and a wood pulp layer integrated into at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric. Here, "integration" means that at least before and after use of the absorbent article 1, the nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer are in a state where even partial separation does not occur and the function thereof is not greatly reduced. The basis weight of the nonwoven fabric is preferably 7 g/m ² or more and 30 g/m ² or less, the basis weight of the wood pulp layer is preferably 30 g/m ² or more and 70 g/m ² or less, and the basis weight of the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric is is preferably 30 g/m ² or more and 80 g/m ² or less from the viewpoint of opacity, strength, body fluid absorbency, etc. By setting the basis weight of each of the nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer within the above range, it becomes easy to adjust the basis weight of the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric to the above range. By setting the basis weight of the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric within the above range, it becomes easier to obtain an opacity of 75% or more.

Among pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabrics, monolithic fabrics formed by hydroentanglement are preferred. The integrated product is, for example, a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric in which wood pulp fibers are entangled with a water jet and integrated to provide a wood pulp layer on the surface of the nonwoven fabric without using a binder. In such a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric, the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp fibers are intertwined on one surface of the nonwoven fabric to integrate the wood pulp layer, and a portion of the wood pulp fibers spread through the nonwoven fabric in the thickness direction. The nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer are bonded extremely strongly.

Here, the nonwoven fabric is not particularly limited, and various nonwoven fabrics can be used, but spunbond nonwoven fabric is preferable. As the spunbond nonwoven fabric, nonwoven fabrics produced by the spunbond method, melt blowing method, flash spinning method, etc. can be used without particular limitation, but the materials include, for example, nylon (trade name), vinylon, polyester, acrylic resin, Synthetic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene can be preferably used. The spunbond nonwoven fabric may contain a plurality of synthetic resin fibers. Among these, spunbond nonwoven fabrics made of polypropylene are preferred from the viewpoints of strength, softness, absorbency, and the like. In addition, the wood pulp fibers constituting the wood pulp layer are not particularly limited, but examples include bleached kraft pulp (hereinafter also referred to as "NBKP") of softwood such as radiata pine, slash pine, southern pine, lodgepole pine, spruce, and Douglas fir. ). One type of wood pulp fiber can be used alone or two or more types can be used in combination.

The weight ratio of the nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer (nonwoven fabric/wood pulp layer) is preferably 40/60% by weight or more and 10/90% by weight or less. When the content of the wood pulp layer is less than 60% by mass, a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric that is stable in terms of body fluid absorption tends to not be formed, and when it exceeds 90% by mass, the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric becomes hard. It tends to be difficult to use as the packaging sheet 11.

In the individual packaging body 1 of this embodiment, it is preferable that the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric is arranged such that its wood pulp layer is on the outer surface of the individual packaging body 1. In this configuration, the spunbond nonwoven fabrics face each other inside the individual package 1. As will be described later, when sealing both ends 25a and 25b (FIG. 3) in the width direction of the individual package 1, there is an advantage that the sealing efficiency is increased due to the facing of the spunbond nonwoven fabrics, and the rate of defective products is reduced. is obtained. Moreover, since the wood pulp layer has good body fluid absorbency, even if the integral fluid leaks from the absorbent article 10 after use, the wood pulp layer can prevent further leakage of the body fluid.

As mentioned above, the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has high opacity. Therefore, when the opacity of a commercially available packaging sheet and that of a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric are compared, the results are shown in Table 1 below. When a commercially available packaging sheet is made of cloth, its opacity is measured based on JIS L 1912. The pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 55 g/m ² as a whole, a basis weight of the wood pulp layer of 43 g/m ² , and a basis weight of 12 g/m ² of the spunbond nonwoven fabric. , a layer consisting of 79% by weight of wood pulp layer and 21% by weight of spunbond nonwoven fabric was used. Table 1 shows that the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has a much higher opacity than the packaging sheet (film or spunbond nonwoven fabric) used in conventional individual packaging.

(joint part)
The joining part 12 joins the surface 11 ) 22 and is provided on the other longitudinal end 23 of the packaging sheet 11 that extends in the longitudinal direction than the other end 22 and on the lower surface in the thickness direction of the surrounding area extending in the width direction, one or more Consists of hook tape. The hook tape is not particularly limited, and various commercially available products can be used. As described above, the use of the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric as the hook tape and packaging sheet 11 ensures both bondability and unsealability, as well as good resealability. That is, since the connection using the hook tape functions effectively even after opening, by wrapping the used absorbent article 10 with the packaging sheet 11 and joining it with the hook tape, it becomes possible to dispose of the product while keeping the contents hidden. .

In this embodiment, the individual packaging body 1 is formed by rolling the absorbent article 10 with the packaging sheet 11, but the packaging method is not particularly limited as long as the hook tape and pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric are used. Various packaging methods may be used as appropriate.

<Method for manufacturing individual packages>
For example, the individual packaging body 1 wraps an absorbent article 10 and a packaging sheet 11 larger than the absorbent article 10 in both the longitudinal direction and the width direction with the non-skin side surface 17a of the back sheet 17 of the absorbent article 10. In the first step of laminating the sheets 11 so that they are in contact with the surface thereof, and in the laminate obtained in the first step, the other longitudinal end (unsealing side end) 23 of the packaging sheet 11 and the peripheral region extending in the width direction a second step of installing one or more hook tapes in the width direction with the joint 12 as the joint part 12; and a second step of installing one or more hook tapes in the width direction; It can be produced by a manufacturing method including a third step of folding the packaging sheet 11 in thirds and joining the surface 11x of the packaging sheet 11 on one end in the longitudinal direction to the hook tape of the joint portion 12.

In the present embodiment, the absorbent article 10 is also folded into three by folding the laminate in three after the hook tape is installed, but the absorbent article 10 is not limited to this, and the absorbent article The number of folds can be

The individual package 1 thus obtained can be used as a product as it is, but it can also be made into a sealed individual package 1A as shown in FIG. 3, for example. A sealed individual package 1A shown in FIG. 3 is obtained by sealing both ends 25a and 25b in the width direction of the individual package 1 obtained by folding the laminate shown in FIG. 1 in thirds. In this embodiment, both ends 25a and 25b in the width direction are entirely sealed; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the structure may be such that sealed portions and unsealed portions alternate intermittently. You may. The sealing method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include sealing using a hot melt adhesive, heat fusion, ultrasonic fusion, and caulking.

When both ends 25a, 25b in the width direction are sealed, the seals at both ends 25a, 25b in the width direction are peeled off when the package is opened. Since the reusable hook tape is left in the joint 12, the resealability is not reduced. Moreover, since the above-mentioned pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric and hook tape are used, the packaging form is not limited to this embodiment, and any of various conventionally known packaging forms can be used.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the embodiments described above. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modifications or improvements may be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Individual packaging of absorbent article 10 Absorbent article 11 Packaging sheet 12 Joint portion 16 Top sheet 17 Back sheet 21 One longitudinal end of the absorbent article 22 The other longitudinal end of the absorbent article 23 The other longitudinal end of the packaging sheet ( (opening end)
25a, 25b Both ends in the width direction of the individual package

Claims (3)

An individual package for an absorbent article, comprising an absorbent article, a packaging sheet that wraps the absorbent article, and a joint that joins an unsealed end of the packaging sheet,
The packaging sheet includes a pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric having a nonwoven fabric and a wood pulp layer laminated on at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric,
The joint part is a hook tape,
The pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has an opacity of 75% or more,
In the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric is a spunbond nonwoven fabric with a basis weight of 7 g/m ² or more and 30 g/m ² or less, and the wood pulp layer has a basis weight of 30 g/m ² or more and 70 g/m ² or less. and an individual package of an absorbent article, wherein the weight composition ratio of the spunbond nonwoven fabric and the wood pulp layer is 40/60% by weight or more and 10/90% by weight or less . The individual packaging for absorbent articles according to claim 1, wherein the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric is arranged such that the wood pulp layer is on the outer surface of the individual packaging. The individual package for an absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pulp-containing composite nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 30 g/m ² or more and 80 g/m ² or less.

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