JPWO2020089980A1 - Sanitary tampon - Google Patents

Abstract

Providing a sanitary tampon that can improve the absorption rate of menstrual blood, use natural fibers, have excellent safety to the body, and suppress fluffing of natural fibers. The absorber (20) of the sanitary tampon (10) is formed of an absorbent layer (30) having water-absorbent fibers (31) and a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric covering the absorbent layer (30). It is provided with a covering layer (40). The coating layer (40) contains natural fibers (41), and a plurality of recesses (60) extending from the coating layer (40) to the inside of the absorber (20) are formed in the entire area of the absorber (20). The natural fiber (41) has a fiber length larger than the separation distance between the recesses (60) adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction (Y), and has a fiber length larger than that of the water-absorbent fiber (31) of the absorption layer (30). The natural fibers (41) of the coating layer (40) are intertwined with each other in the recesses (60).

Description

The present invention relates to sanitary tampons.

Conventionally, sanitary tampons are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sanitary tampon comprising a liquid-absorbent absorber and a cord for pulling the absorber from the vaginal cavity. The absorber has an absorbent layer and a hydrophobic and liquid permeable coating layer that covers the entire absorbent layer. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses sanitary and sanitary products using natural fibers cultivated organically without pesticides.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-8964A (P2001-8964A) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-150010 (P2006-150010A)

In the sanitary tampon disclosed in Patent Document 1, the absorption rate of menstrual blood is improved by forming a plurality of recesses extending inward on the surface of the absorption layer of the absorber, and the surface of the tampon is colored. There is little residue, the tampon taken out after use does not look bad, and there is no risk of causing discomfort to the user.

However, since the plurality of recesses are formed only in the absorption layer of the absorber and not in the coating layer covering the absorption layer, the absorption area located on the surface of the absorber changes. There is no. In addition, since the coating layer is hydrophobic, it is difficult for menstrual blood to transfer to the absorption layer located on the inner side, and there is a possibility that the required absorption rate cannot be exhibited.

Further, in the sanitary and sanitary products disclosed in Patent Document 2, by using pesticide-free organically cultivated natural fibers (cotton fiber, hemp fiber) as constituent materials, the load on the body due to synthetic resins, chemical substances, etc. Excellent in safety to the body.

However, natural fibers are more fluffy than synthetic fibers, and for example, when natural fibers are used for the coating layer of sanitary tampon, some of the natural fibers are in the vaginal cavity when pulled out from the vaginal cavity after use. May be left behind.

The present invention is an improvement of a conventional sanitary tampon, which improves the absorption rate of menstrual blood, is excellent in safety to the body by using natural fibers, and suppresses fluffing of natural fibers. Regarding the provision of sanitary tampons that can be used.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to a physiological tampon having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction and provided with a liquid-absorbing absorber and a cord for taking the absorber from the vaginal space. ..

In the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the absorber includes an absorbent layer having water-absorbent fibers and a coating layer formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous non-woven fabric that covers the absorbent layer. The coating layer contains natural fibers, and a plurality of recesses extending from the coating layer to the inside of the absorber are formed in the entire area of the absorber, and the natural fibers are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. It has a fiber length larger than the separation distance between the recesses, and is characterized in that the water-absorbent fibers of the absorption layer and the natural fibers of the coating layer are entangled with each other in the recesses.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the fiber length of the water-absorbent fiber of the absorption layer is larger than the fiber length of the natural fiber of the coating layer.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, it has a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the thickness direction and the thickness direction, and the first and second surfaces have the plurality of surfaces. A plurality of rows are formed by arranging the recesses in the longitudinal direction, and the recesses of the rows adjacent to each other in the lateral direction are not arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the lateral direction.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the natural fiber and the water-absorbent fiber are oriented in the longitudinal direction.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the natural fiber is an organically grown cotton fiber.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the coating layer is formed only from the organically grown cotton fibers.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the absorption layer is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles, and the coating layer is formed of a spunlace fiber non-woven fabric.

In one of the embodiments of the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, the coating layer further has a main body portion that covers the absorption layer and an extension portion extending from the main body portion, and the extension portion. Is temporarily fixed via the recess in a state of being folded over the main body.

In the sanitary tampon according to the present invention, since a plurality of recesses extending from the coating layer to the inside of the absorber are formed in the entire area of the absorber, the absorption area is expanded and the diffusibility and the absorption rate are excellent. In addition, the use of natural fibers improves safety for the body and suppresses fluffing of natural fibers.

The drawings show specific embodiments of the invention and include not only essential configurations of the invention, but also selective and preferred embodiments.
The perspective view of the sanitary tampon which concerns on this invention. Top view of the tampon body. (A) Cross-sectional view taken along the line III (a) -III (a) of FIG. (B) A partially enlarged view of the region surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line III (b) in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-VI of FIG. (A) A partially enlarged view of the area surrounded by the V (a) line in FIG. (B) The same figure as in FIG. 5 (a) after use.

The following embodiments include not only the essential configurations of the invention, but also selective and preferred configurations for the physiological tampons 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the sanitary tampon 10 shown as an example of the sanitary tampon of the present invention has a longitudinal direction Y and a lateral direction X, and has an absorber (tampon body) 20 and an absorber. Includes a code 11 extending from 20 to remove the absorber 20 from the vaginal cavity after use. The cord 11 is attached to the absorber 20 via a suture line 9 extending in the longitudinal direction Y at the central portion of the absorber 20 located at the center of the lateral direction X.

The absorber 20 has a first surface 21a and a second surface 21b facing each other in the thickness direction Z, and has a convex first edge 20a, a substantially V-shaped second edge 20b, and a second. It has both side edges 20c and 20d extending in the longitudinal direction Y between the first and second edge edges 20a and 20b. The absorber 20 may have various known shapes such as a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, a columnar shape, and a prismatic shape, in addition to the substantially arrow blade shape shown in the figure.

The absorbent body 20 includes an absorbent layer 30 having water-absorbent fibers and a coating layer 40 that covers the absorbent layer. The absorption layer 30 and the coating layer 40 are joined to each other at the suture line 9.

The absorption layer 30 contains constituent fibers capable of absorbing and retaining menstrual blood, and mainly contains water-absorbent fibers such as rayon fibers, pulp fibers and cotton fibers. In addition to the water-absorbent fibers, polypropylene fibers It may have thermoplastic synthetic fibers such as polyethylene fibers and polyethylene fibers. The absorbent layer 30 is formed by shaping the constituent fibers into a required shape, and has the same shape as the absorbent body. In the illustrated example, the absorption layer 30 is formed in the form of fiber lumps formed by shaping the constituent fibers into a required shape, but various known materials such as spunlace fiber non-woven fabric and air-through fiber non-woven fabric are used as long as the required absorption performance is exhibited. The fibrous non-woven fabric of the above may be laminated and formed.

The coating layer 40 is formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous non-woven fabric that covers the entire absorption layer 30. Specifically, the coating layer 40 can be formed from a spunlaced non-woven fabric using synthetic fibers such as rayon in addition to natural fibers such as cotton fibers and pulp fibers. Here, the fact that the coating layer 40 has hydrophilicity means that the constituent fibers of the coating layer 40 contain more hydrophilic fibers than synthetic fibers, and the content of the hydrophilic fibers is preferably 60% or more. Means that. Further, the fact that the coating layer 40 has liquid permeability means that menstrual blood adhering to the surface of the coating layer 40 can be quickly transferred to the absorption layer 30 located inside, and a plurality of pores are opened by fiber gaps and surface processing. Means to have.

In this embodiment, as the hydrophilic natural fiber, pesticide-free organically cultivated cotton fiber is used. By using organic cotton fibers for the coating layer 40 that comes into direct contact with the user's vaginal cavity, safety to the body is improved compared to the case of using synthetic resins or chemical fibers containing chemical substances. However, the user can use the sanitary tampon 10 with peace of mind.

The content of organic cotton fibers among the hydrophilic fibers constituting the coating layer 40 is preferably at least 70% or more, more preferably 100%, and the coating layer 40 is organic cotton. It may be formed only from fibers. When the coating layer 40 is formed only of organic cotton fibers, the entire outer surface of the absorber 20 does not contain fibers containing chemical substances such as pesticides, so that it is perfect for the body derived from natural materials. By inserting only a safe material into the body, it is possible to give the user a sense of security that it will not affect the body even if it is used for a long time at night or the like.

The cord 11 is formed of synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester, natural fibers, and the like, and is located in the vaginal cavity after use so that the absorber 20 that has absorbed menstrual blood can be safely taken out. Has tensile strength. Specifically, it is preferable to have a tensile strength of about 5 N or more so as not to be cut when the absorber 20 is taken out. The cord 11 may be water-repellent in order to prevent menstrual blood from adhering to the cord 11 when the user operates it.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 (a) and 3 (b), the absorber 20 has a plurality of recesses 60. The plurality of recesses 60 are arranged in the entire area of the absorber 20, that is, on the first surface 21a and the second surface 21b, and extend from the coating layer 40 to the inside of the absorption layer 30. The plurality of recesses 60 have a substantially circular shape and are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction Y and the lateral direction X. Specifically, the plurality of recesses 60 are arranged so as to form a plurality of rows that are separated in the lateral direction X and extend in the longitudinal direction Y, and the recesses 60 in the rows adjacent to each other are arranged in the lateral direction. It is located so that it does not overlap at X. Therefore, referring to FIG. 3B, for example, any recess 61a in the first row L1 is arranged so as not to overlap with the recess 62a in the second row L2 adjacent to the first row L1 in the lateral direction X. Has been done.

The separation dimension (pitch) between the recesses 60 in each row, that is, the separation dimension R1 between the recesses 61a and 61b in the first row L1 may be the same size or different from each other. .. Further, the distance R2 between the recess 61a in the first row L1 and the recess 62a in the second row L2 may be the same size or different from each other. Further, the separation dimensions R1 and R2 may be the same size or different from each other. Here, the separation dimensions R1 and R2 mean the separation dimensions between the center points of the recess 60.

Since the absorber 20 has a plurality of recesses 60 in the entire area, the absorption area (surface area) capable of absorbing menstrual blood becomes larger than that in the case where the surface thereof is flat. Therefore, more menstrual blood can be absorbed when the absorber 20 is inserted into the vaginal space to absorb menstrual blood. In addition, since the plurality of recesses 60 extend from the coating layer 40 to the inside of the absorption layer 30, menstrual blood can be drawn into the recess 60 and quickly absorbed from the inner peripheral surface of the recess 60 into the absorption layer 30. can.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the recess 60, the (organic) cotton fibers 41 constituting the coating layer 40 have entered the inside of the absorption layer 30. Specifically, the cotton fibers 41 enter the fiber gaps of the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorption layer 30 forming the inner peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the recess 60 and are entangled with each other. In this way, the cotton fibers 41 of the coating layer 40 and the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorption layer 30 are entangled with each other in the recess 60, so that the coating layer 40 and the absorption layer 30 are stably bonded and absorbed from the coating layer 40. The transfer of menstrual blood to layer 30 can be performed reliably and promptly.

As described above, as a method of entwining the fibers in the recess 60, for example, a fluid treatment of injecting a high-pressure fluid onto the absorber 20 or an embossing process of pressurizing with a plurality of pins can be used.

Although not shown, the sanitary tampon 10 is housed in an applicator for insertion into the vaginal cavity in a state in which the absorber 20 is compressed into a substantially cylindrical shape. Further, by performing the insertion operation using the applicator, the absorber 20 is inserted into the vaginal cavity in a substantially cylindrically compressed state even when it is used, but the first surface 21a or the second surface 21a or the second. By locating any one of the surfaces 21b on the outer surface side, menstrual blood can be moved to the plurality of recesses 60 to be quickly held and absorbed.

The cotton fiber 41 has a fiber length larger than the separation distance R1 between the recesses 60 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction Y. Referring to FIG. 4, since the fiber length of the cotton fiber 41 is larger than the dimension (separation dimension) R1 of the separated portion located between the recess 61a and the recess 61b, one end 41a of the cotton fiber 41 is the recess 61a. The other end 41b is entangled with the water-absorbent fiber 31 forming the recess 61b, while the other end 41b is entangled with the water-absorbent fiber 31 forming the recess 61b. In this way, the cotton fibers 41 extend so as to straddle the recesses 60 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction Y, so that the cotton fibers 41 are entangled only with the water-absorbent fibers 31 forming one recess 60. The coating layer 40 and the absorption layer 30 can be firmly bonded to each other. The distance R1 between the recess 61a and the recess 61b in the longitudinal direction Y is, for example, 3 to 25 mm.

In addition, since the fineness of cotton fibers is usually relatively small, it is easy to fluff, and when cotton fibers are used for the coating layer, when the absorber that has absorbed menstrual blood is taken out from the vaginal cavity after use, it is caused by friction. Cotton fibers may fluff and remain in the vaginal cavity. In the present embodiment, the cotton fibers 41 are arranged so as to straddle the adjacent recesses 60 in the longitudinal direction Y, and are entangled with the water-absorbent fibers 31 in the recesses 60 so that the absorber 20 is used from inside the vaginal cavity after use. When the fibers are pulled out, the entanglement between the fibers is released, and the cotton fibers 41 can be prevented from fluffing.

Further, the water-absorbent fiber 31 of the absorption layer 30 has a fiber length larger than the fiber length of the cotton fiber 41. Specifically, the cotton fiber 41 has a fiber length of 10 to 30 mm and an average fiber length of 13 to 20 mm, whereas the water-absorbent fiber 31 has a fiber length of 20 to 70 mm and an average fiber length of 25. ~ 50 mm. As described above, since the fiber length of the water-absorbent fiber 31 is relatively large, the menstrual blood induced in each recess 60 can be rapidly transferred in the direction in which the fiber is oriented. The average fiber length is, for example, individual fibers on a glass plate with a scale of "A7.1.1 A method (standard method)" in "A7.1 Fiber length measurement" of Annex A of JIS L 1015: 2010. It is measured according to "How to measure the length of the fiber". The above method is a test method equivalent to ISO 6989 published in 1981.

The cotton fibers 41 of the coating layer 40 and the water-absorbent fibers 31 of the absorbent layer 30 are oriented in the longitudinal direction Y. In this way, the fibers 31 and 41 constituting the absorber 20 are oriented in the longitudinal direction Y, so that menstrual blood can be rapidly diffused in the longitudinal direction Y. The term "fibers 31 and 41 are oriented in the longitudinal direction Y" means that 50% by mass or more of the fibers 31 and 41 are in the range of +45 degrees to -45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction Y. It means that it is suitable. The fiber orientation can be measured using a digital microscope VHX-100 manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION.

As described above, the plurality of recesses 60 of the absorber 20 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction Y. In this way, the recesses 60 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction Y to form the plurality of rows L1-L3, so that the fibers 31 and 41 of the coating layer 40 and the absorption layer 30 are arranged in the longitudinal direction Y. Coupled with the orientation, menstrual blood can be rapidly diffused in the longitudinal direction Y.

Further, the recesses 60 of the rows L1-L4 adjacent to each other in the lateral direction X are not arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the lateral direction X. When the recesses 60 of the rows L1-L4 adjacent to each other are arranged side by side along the lateral direction X, the rigidity of the absorber 20 in the lateral direction X becomes relatively low, and the vaginal cavity after use. When pulling out from the inside, the waist may break and it may be difficult to pull out. Here, "the recesses 60 of the adjacent rows L1-L4 are not arranged so as to line up with each other along the lateral direction X" means that, for example, the recesses 60 of the first row L1 are translated in the lateral direction X. This means that it does not overlap with a part of the recess 60 of the second row L2.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the recess 60 located on the first surface 21a and the recess 60 located on the second surface 21b, which face each other in the thickness direction Z, are slightly displaced in the lateral direction X. ing. That is, since the centers of the recesses 60 facing each other in the thickness direction Z are arranged so as to be offset in the lateral direction X and do not completely overlap, they are arranged so as to completely coincide with each other in the thickness direction Z. The rigidity of the portions of the absorber 20 facing each other of the recesses 60 is locally reduced, and the absorber can be prevented from being deformed into strain.

The absorption layer 30 is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles that have passed through a card machine, and the coating layer 40 may be formed of a spunlace fiber non-woven fabric. In such a case, neither the absorption layer 30 nor the coating layer 40 has a bonding portion to which the thermoplastic synthetic fiber is welded, so that the absorber 20 as a whole is excellent in flexibility.

When the coating layer 40 is formed of a spunlace fiber non-woven fabric, the coating layer 40 is arranged on the surface of the coating layer 40 at intervals in the lateral direction (direction intersecting the mechanical direction at the time of manufacture) X. , A plurality of concave grooves extending in the longitudinal direction (machine direction at the time of manufacture) Y are formed. By forming a plurality of concave grooves extending in the longitudinal direction Y on the coating layer 40 itself, menstrual blood can be easily diffused in the longitudinal direction Y on the surface of the absorber 20.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the coating layer 40 has a main body portion 70 that covers the absorption layer 30 and an extending portion (free end portion) 71 that extends from the main body portion 70. The extending portion 71 is temporarily fixed to the surface of the main body 70 via a plurality of recesses 60 in a state of being folded over the main body 70. By temporarily fixing the extending portion 71 to the main portion 70 in this way, when the absorber 20 is inserted into the vaginal cavity, the extending portion 71 is separated from the main portion 70 and interferes with the operation. There is no such thing.

Referring to FIG. 5B, after the use of the sanitary tampon 10, the absorber 20 absorbs menstrual blood and absorbs a relatively large amount of menstrual blood in a state where the menstrual blood is diffused throughout the covering layer 40. When held, menstrual blood is diffused not only to the main portion 70 in contact with the absorption layer 30 but also to the extending portion 71. By diffusing menstrual blood into the extending portion 71, the absorbent fibers 31 and the cotton fibers 41, which are intertwined with each other in the recess 60 temporarily fixing the extending portion 71, absorb the menstrual blood and swell, and the fibers are swelled together. The entanglement of is released, and the temporarily fixed state is released. When the temporarily fixed state is released, the extending portion 71 is separated from the main body portion 70 and stands upright.

In this way, when menstrual blood diffuses to the extension portion 71 that does not come into direct contact with the absorption layer 30 after use, the extension portion 71 stands up, so that the user can move the absorber 20 from inside the vaginal cavity. It can be recognized that a larger amount of menstrual blood was excreted when it was taken out. On the other hand, if menstrual blood is not diffused to the extending portion 71 after use and the temporary fixing is not released and the state of lying down on the main portion 70 is maintained, the user is relatively It can be recognized that a small amount of menstrual blood was excreted. Therefore, it can be said that the extending portion 71 of the covering layer 40 has a function as an indicator indicating the amount of menstrual blood excreted.

Unless otherwise specified, in addition to the materials described herein, known materials commonly used in this type of field may be used without limitation for the members constituting the sanitary tampon. can. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" used in the present specification are used only for distinguishing similar elements, positions, and the like.

10 Sanitary tampon 20 Absorbent 30 Absorbent layer 31 Water-absorbent fiber 40 Coating layer 41 Natural fiber (organic cotton fiber)
60 Recess 70 Main body 71 Extending part X Short direction Y Longitudinal direction

Claims (8)

In a sanitary tampon that has a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction and is provided with a liquid-absorbing absorber and a cord for pulling the absorber from the vaginal cavity.
The absorber includes an absorbent layer having water-absorbent fibers and a coating layer formed of a hydrophilic and liquid-permeable fibrous nonwoven fabric that coats the absorbent layer.
The coating layer contains natural fibers and contains natural fibers.
A plurality of recesses extending from the coating layer to the inside of the absorber are formed in the entire area of the absorber.
The natural fiber has a fiber length larger than the separation distance between the recesses adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction.
The sanitary tampon, characterized in that the water-absorbent fibers of the absorption layer and the natural fibers of the coating layer are intertwined with each other in the recesses. The tampon according to claim 1, wherein the fiber length of the water-absorbent fiber of the absorption layer is larger than the fiber length of the natural fiber of the coating layer. The absorber has a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the thickness direction, and the plurality of recesses are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the first surface and the second surface. The tampon according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of rows are formed by the tampon, and the recesses of the rows adjacent to each other in the lateral direction are not arranged so as to be aligned with each other in the lateral direction. The tampon according to claim 3, wherein the natural fiber and the water-absorbent fiber are oriented in the longitudinal direction. The tampon according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the natural fiber is an organically grown cotton fiber. The tampon according to claim 5, wherein the coating layer is formed only from the organically grown cotton fibers. The tampon according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the absorption layer is a laminate formed by stacking a plurality of fiber bundles, and the coating layer is formed of a spunlace fiber non-woven fabric. The coating layer further has a main body portion that covers the absorption layer and an extending portion extending from the main body portion, and the extending portion is folded over the main body portion and is passed through the recess. The tampon according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is temporarily fixed.

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