MXPA01003523A - Individually packaged absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

An individually packaged absorbent article is disclosed. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and a body surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has amain fastener. The wrapper for the absorbent article has a main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover. The body surface of the main body portion is disposed to face the main wrapper sheet. The main fastener of the main body portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is joined to the main wrapper sheet. The main body portion and the wrapper are folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit. At least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapper is opened.

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLE INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to individually packaged absorbent article.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Absorbent articles that are used to absorb exudates from the body, such as disposable diapers, adult incontinence products or sanitary napkins, are well known. These absorbent articles typically have a body surface which may include a liquid permeable topsheet, a garment surface which may include a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent therebetween. When the absorbent article is used, the body surface of the absorbent article is placed on the wearer's body and the garment surface is placed against the wearer's undergarment. The body surface of the absorbent article must be kept hygienic before use of the absorbent article because the body surface directly touches the user's body. Typically, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin is individually wrapped by a wrapper to protect the absorbent article from contaminants. Such individually packaged absorbent articles are disclosed in, for example, the open publication to the public of the Japanese utility model 95/39820 published July 18, 1995, Japanese publication open to the public of! Utility Model 94/75446 published October 25, 1994, and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 91/176376 published July 31, 1991. In certain known designs, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin is folded into three portions such that the body surface of the sanitary napkin is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded sanitary napkin and the garment surface is wrapped by a wrapper. The garment surface of the sanitary napkin also includes a main fastener, which is covered by the wrapper, to secure the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. In these absorbent articles, the body surface is protected from contact by the hands of the user before the sanitary napkin is unfolded for application to the wearer's undergarment. However, the wearer must open and remove the sanitary napkin wrap and unfold the sanitary napkin when applying the sanitary napkin to an undergarment of the wearer. In the configuration where the envelope and sanitary napkin are open, the main holder of the sanitary napkin is still covered by the envelope and is not exposed while the body surface of the sanitary napkin is exposed. Therefore, the user must remove the wrap of the sanitary napkin to expose the main fastener. During this process, the user can touch the body surface of the sanitary napkin. This causes contamination of the body surface.- In addition, while the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment after removing the wrap, the wearer tends to apply the sanitary napkin by touching the body surface and / or pushing A body surface of the sanitary napkin towards the undergarment to secure the main fastener provided on the garment surface to the undergarment. This also causes contamination of the body surface. Therefore, there are no convenient means to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin while the wearer removes the sanitary napkin wrap and applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. . . Attempts have been made to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin during the application of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. For example, the open publication of Japanese patent 96/56989 discloses an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin having a cover sheet of surface covering the body surface of the main body portion of the sanitary napkin. This sanitary napkin also has a release paper that covers the adhesive provided on the garment surface of the sanitary napkin. The wearer should remove the release paper covering the adhesive from the garment surface before the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. This is very inconvenient for the user. Based on the above, there is a need for an individually absorbent article packaged by an envelope having a main wrapping sheet; wherein the body surface of the absorbent article remains protected from, for example, the user's hands during unfolding and application. None of the existing technique provides all the advantages and benefits of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an individually packaged absorbent article. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and a body surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has a main fastener. The wrapping for the absorbent article has a main wrapping sheet and a main bra cover. The body surface of the main body portion is arranged to face the main wrapping sheet. The main fastener of the main body portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is attached to the main wrapping sheet. The main body portion and the sheath are bent as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit. At least one part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapper is open.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Although the description concludes with the claims which point out in a particular way and claim the invention differently, it is believed that the present invention will be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers identify elements, identical, and wherein: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the wrapper of the present invention in an open position with a preferred sanitary napkin disposed thereon; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapping and sanitary napkin taken along the line ll-ll of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top plan view of the sanitary napkin shown in Figure 1 with the flaps stretched out; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the sanitary napkin shown in Figure 1, with the fins bent over the topsheet and covered by the fin clip cover; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath and sanitary napkin taken along the line VV of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the wrapper and the towel sanitary Figure 7 is a perspective view of a preferred wrapper shown in Figure 1; Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the envelope; Figure 9 is a first schematic perspective view showing a process of packing the sanitary napkin by wrapping; Figure 10 is a second schematic perspective view showing a process of packing the sanitary napkin by wrapping; Figure 11 is a third schematic perspective view showing a process of packing the sanitary napkin by wrapping; Figure 12 is a perspective view (taken along the longitudinal centerline) of the sanitary napkin and the sheath folded by the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; Figure 13 is a perspective view of a mode of the individually packaged sanitary napkin of the present invention assembled using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; Figure 14 is a first schematic perspective view showing an individually packaged sanitary towel opening process assembled using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; Figure 15 is a second schematic perspective view showing an opening process of the individually packaged sanitary napkin assembled using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; Figure 16 is a first schematic perspective view showing a process of applying the sanitary napkin to the assembled undergarment using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; Figure 17 is a second schematic perspective view showing a process of applying the sanitary napkin to the assembled undergarment using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11; and Figure 18 is a third schematic perspective view showing a process of applying the sanitary napkin to the assembled undergarment using the processes shown in Figures 9 to 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION All the references cited here are incorporated by reference in their totalities. The citation of any reference is not an acknowledgment with respect to any determination as to its availability as a prior art for the claimed invention. . . "Understanding" means that other stages and other elements that do not affect e! final result can be added. This term encompasses the terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of". Individually wrapped absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins are useful for protecting the absorbent article from contamination. Such absorbent articles can be wrapped by a wrapper that includes a main wrap sheet and a main fastener cover. The main wrapping sheet! it may be provided in order to protect the body surface of an absorbent article against contamination during the application of the absorbent article to the undergarment. The cover of the main fastener! it may be provided in order to protect the main fastener provided on the garment surface of the absorbent articles. If the absorbent articles have two separate elements of material to protect portions of the absorbent articles and if the user must remove these elements separately before the process of applying the absorbent article to the undergarment, this is very inconvenient for the user. The present invention responds to the need for an individually wrapped absorbent article whose body surface remains protected from, for example, the hands of the user during the application of the absorbent article. Additionally, the present invention provides an absorbent article having a main wrap sheet and a main fastener cover in which the user does not have to take an additional step to remove the cover of the main fastener prior to the application process of the absorbent article to the undergarment These and other features of the present invention are discussed in more detail below. Referring now to the drawings, the present invention is described in a preferred but not limiting embodiment. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the present invention includes a wrap 78 for a disposable absorbent article, particularly a sanitary pad 20. The sanitary pad 20 is used to collect vaginal discharges, such as' menstruation, and to prevent staining of clothes! user for these downloads. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the sanitary napkin 20 basically includes a main body portion 22. The sanitary napkin 20 may include a pair of fins 24 which will be bent to wrap the edge to the undergarment of the sanitary napkin. user when it is used. The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 may have a main body fastener, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive fastener thereon for securing the main body portion 22 in the wearer's undergarment. The fins 24 each preferably have fin fasteners thereon, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive fastener, for detachably securing the first fins 24 of the sanitary napkin 20 in a folded configuration around the crotch edges. of the wearer's undergarment. The wrap 78 serves to cover and protect the fin fasteners and the body surface of the sanitary napkin 20, and is folded around the sanitary napkin 20 to provide an individual package for the sanitary napkin 20. The sanitary napkin 20 (and the main body portion 22 thereof) has two surfaces, a surface that is in contact with the body permeable to the liquid or "body surface" 20A which is intended to be carried adjacent to the user's body, and a liquid impervious surface to the liquid 20B. The sanitary napkin 20 is shown in Figure 3 as seen from its body surface 20A. The sanitary napkin 20 (with the other elements, such as the sheath 78) is shown in Figure 1 as seen from its garment surface 20B. The sanitary napkin 20 has two centerlines, a main longitudinal centerline L and a major transverse centerline (not shown in the Figures). Here, "longitudinal" refers to a line, axis or direction within the plane of the sanitary napkin 20 that is generally aligned with (eg, approximately parallel to) a vertical plane that divides a user standing in halves of the left body and right when the sanitary napkin 20 is worn. Here, "transverse", "lateral" or "width", are interchangeable, and refer to a line, axis or direction that is located within the plane of the sanitary napkin 20 that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Figure 3 shows the main body portion 22 and the fins 24 of the sanitary napkin 20. The main body portion 22 has two separate longitudinal side edges 26, two separate transverse or end edges apart (or "ends") 28, which together form the periphery 30 of the main body portion 22. The main body portion 22 also has three sections including a central section 36 (first section), an end section 34 (second section) and another end section 32 (third section). The first section 36 is disposed between the second section 34 and the third section 32. The second section 34 and the third section 32 extend outwards in the longitudinal direction from the edges of the central section 36 of the main body portion 22. When the sanitary napkin 20 is individually packaged, the main body portion 22 and the sheath 78 are folded as a unit in the three regions including a first region 39, a second region 41, and a third region 43 divided by two fold shafts F1 and F2 (refer to Figure 1). The first section 36, the second section 34 and the third section 32 of the main body portion 22 generally extend within the first region 39, in the second region 41 and in the third region 43, respectively. The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 may be of any thickness, including relatively thick, of intermediate thickness, relatively thin or even very thin (or "ultra-thin"). An "ultra-thin" sanitary napkin 20 as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,950,264 and 5,009,653 issued to Osborn on August 21, 1990 and August 23, 1991, respectively, preferably have a size less than about 3. millimeters The embodiment of the sanitary napkin 20 shown in the drawings is intended to be an example of a sanitary napkin of an intermediate thickness. The main body portion! 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 can also be relatively flexible, such that it is comfortable for the wearer. It should be understood that the sanitary napkin shown is merely one embodiment, and that the wrapping of the present invention is not limited to being used with an absorbent article of the type or having the specific configurations shown in the drawings. Figure 2 shows the individual components of the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20. The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 preferably has at least three main components. These include an upper sheet 38 permeable to liquid, a back sheet 40 impervious to! liquid, and an absorbent core 42 positioned between the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40. The topsheet, the backsheet, and the absorbent core can be assembled in a variety of configurations known in the art (including layered or "layered" configurations). "walled" and wrapped or "tube" configurations). Suitable materials for the components of the main body portion 22, and some of the various configurations in which these components can be assembled are generally described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,321,924 entitled "Article disposable edging absorbent "issued to Ahr on March 30, 1982; U.S. Patent No. 4,425,130 entitled "Composite sanitary towel" issued to DesMarais on January 10, 1984; U.S. Patent No. 4,950,264 entitled "Slender, flexible sanitary towel" issued to Osborn on August 21, 1990; U.S. Patent No. 5,308,346 entitled "Elastic Sanitary Towel" issued to Sneller, et al. on May 3, 1994; and in U.S. Patent No. 5,389,094 entitled "Absorber article having fins and zones of 'differential extension capacity" issued to Lavash, et al. on February 14, 1995: The main body portion 22 of the towel sanitary 20 can also be formed by one or more extensible components such as those sanitary napkins, and the like described in, for example, U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 07 / 915,133 and 07 / 915,284, both filed on 23 July 1992, in the name of Osborn, et al. (PCT publications WO 93/01785 and 93/01786, both published on February 4, 1993). Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the sanitary napkin 20 assembled in a sandwich construction in which the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 have length and width dimensions generally greater than those of the absorbent core 42. The topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 extend beyond the edges of the absorbent core 42 to form portions of the periphery 30. The topsheet 38 is preferably attached to the side facing the body of the absorbent core 42 and the backsheet 40 is preferably attached to the side thereof. the garment of the absorbent core 42. The topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 can be attached to the absorbent core 42 in any suitable manner known in the art for this purpose, such as by an open pattern of adhesives. The portions of the upper sheet 38 and of the rear sheet 40 extending beyond the edges of the absorbent core 42 are also preferably joined together. These portions of the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 can also be joined in any suitable manner known in the art. Preferably, in the embodiment shown, these portions of the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 are bonded using adhesives over substantially the total portions extending beyond the edges of the absorbent core 42, and a seal crimped around the periphery 30 of the main body portion 22 where the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 are densified by the application of pressure or heat and pressure. The sanitary towel 20 shown in Figure 3, as discussed above, also a pair of first fins. 24 which are attached to the main body portion 22. The fins 24 extend laterally outwardly beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of the main body portion 22 from their proximal edges 44 to their distant edges 46 (or "free ends"). "). The fins 24 extend laterally outwardly from at least a portion of the first section 36 of the main body portion 22 and most of the fins 24 extend into the first region 36 divided by the bending axes F1 and F2 ( referred to Figure 1). The fins 24 can be attached to the main body portion 22 in any suitable manner. Here, "joined" encompasses configurations in which one element is directly secured to another element by fixing the element directly to the other element; configurations in which the element is indirectly secured to the other element by fixing the element to a member or intermediate members which in turn are fixed to the other element; and configurations in which one element is integral with the other element, that is, one element is essentially part of the other element. Preferably, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the fins 24 are integral with the main body portion 22 (ie, the fins 24 are formed by integral extensions of the backsheet 40).; alternatively, the fins 24 can be formed by integral extensions of the upper sheet 38 and the rear sheet 40 which are coextensive). In other alternative embodiments, the fins 24 can be formed by one or more separate components that are attached to the garment-facing side of the main body portion 22. Preferably, in each case, each of the fins 24 is formed by a separate component that is attached to the garment-facing side of the main body portion 22. In such alternative embodiments, the flaps 24 are preferably otherwise disengaged to the garment-facing side of the main body portion 22 of the sanitary toaiia 20 between the points where these are attached to the main body portion 22 and the longitudinal side edges of the main body portion 22. The fins 24 in these latter embodiments may be attached to the garment side of the portion of main body 22 by any suitable fixing mechanism. Suitable fixation mechanisms include, but are not limited to adhesives, and the like. The places or regions on the sanitary napkin 20 where the vanes 24 are attached to (or extend from) the main body portion 22, are referred to herein as "seams". These regions will typically be longitudinally oriented (or "longitudinal") junctures such as seam lines 48. These regions may be any of several curved or straight lines, but are not limited to lines. In this manner, the seams may include tabs, strips, intermittent lines, and the like. The fins 24 may be of any desired configuration. For example, the fins 24 are provided with zones of extension 24 (not shown in the Figures) on the front edge and on the trailing edge of each fin. The zones of extension capacity release the efforts that are created in the fins 24 by bending the fins 24 around the crotch of the wearer's undergarment. The zones of extension capacity help in this way to eliminate the clutter of the fins 24 caused by said efforts. The zones of extension capacity can be formed by precorrugated or "ring-rolled" regions of the fins 24 in which the corrugations define ridges and valleys and are oriented at an angle with respect to the main longitudinal centerline L. The proper structures to provide the fins 24 with zones of extension capacity are described in greater detail in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,389,094 issued to Lavash, and others and in the commonly assigned copending patent application of the United States. Serial No. 08 / 380,769, entitled "Absorbent article with fins with collected portions" filed in the name of Sue A. Mills, and others on January 30, 1995. The sanitary napkin 20 also preferably has fasteners for securing the sanitary napkin 20 in the place in an undergarment of the user. Figures 3 and 4 show an arrangement of preferred fasteners including a main body fastener, such as the main body adhesive 64, and fin fasteners, such as the flap adhesives 76. The fasteners used with the sanitary napkin 20 They are not limited to adhesive fasteners. Any suitable type of fastener known in the art can be used for this purpose. For example, the sanitary napkin 20 can be secured in place within an undergarment of the wearer by mechanical fasteners, such as VELCRO®, or by a combination of adhesive and mechanical fasteners. However, for simplicity, the fasteners will be described in terms of adhesive fasteners and these fasteners are preferably pressure sensitive adhesive fasteners. Suitable pressure sensitive adhesive fasteners are described with may |) r details, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,917,697 issued to Osborn, and others on April 17, 1990. The adhesive of the main body 74 and the adhesives of the flaps 76 can be provided in any suitable configuration. In a preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 3, the main body adhesive 74 is provided in the form of a longitudinally oriented adhesive strip that is centered around the main longitudinal center line L. The main body adhesive 74 can to be provided in the form of two or more longitudinally oriented adhesive strips which are arranged parallel to each other. Alternately, the main body adhesive! 74 may be provided in the form of two or more generally rectangular adhesive patches which are arranged in the longitudinal direction at a distance. The adhesives of the flap 76 are provided in the. form of a generally rectangular adhesive patch on each flap 24. The main body adhesive 74 provides a fixing adhesive means for securing the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 against the crotch portion of a panty. The adhesives of the flap 76 are used to help keep the flaps 24 in position after they are wrapped around the edge of the crotch portion of the panty. The fins can be held in position by fixing the fins 24 to the undergarment, or to the opposite fin. Alternatively, the fins 24 may not be provided with the fin adhesive. Figures 1, 2 and 7 show a preferred version of the envelope 78. The envelope 78 can be formed by a single element or it can be formed by several elements. These elements can be formed by integral portions of a single member or article, or these can be formed by separate components attached to a member or article. The elements constituting the wrapping 78 include: a main wrapping sheet 80, a cover of the main bra 82; and optionally may include a flap fastener cover 81 (not shown in Figure 2) if the flap 24 is provided and the adhesive 76 is provided on the flap. The main wrapping sheet 80 is the portion of the wrap 78 that is folded around the sanitary napkin 20 to provide an individual package for the sanitary napkin 20. The main wrapping sheet 80 preferably covers the side of the body surface 20A of the sanitary napkin 20 and the sanitary napkin 20 is releasably secured as described hereinafter. As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the main wrapping sheet 80 has two surfaces, the inner surface 80E and the outer surface 80F (refer to Figure 2). The inner surface 80E is the surface facing the sanitary napkin 20. The main shroud sheet 80 preferably has dimensions that are slightly larger than those of the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20. Preferably, the sheet Main wrapping 80 has longitudinal side portions 80D extending beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20. The main wrapping sheet 80 also preferably has a first portion. end 80A a second end portion 80B extending beyond the end edges 28 of the main body portion 22. However, it is recognized that satisfactory protection of the sanitary napkin 20 can be achieved by a wrapping that is not greater than the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20. The main shroud sheet 80 can be made from any suitable material. The main wrapping sheet 80 is preferably made from a thin flexible material which is impermeable to the liquid such that the wrap 78 will be suitable for wrapping and discarding a used sanitary napkin 20. For example, it has been found that polyethylene films work well. The main wrapping sheet 80 can be formed by an opaque material, a semi-transparent material, or a transparent material. An opaque main wrapper sheet 80 offers the advantage of discretion when used to rewrap a used / stained sanitary napkin for disposal. However, a semi-transparent or transparent main wrapping sheet 80 facilitates the visual placement of the sanitary napkin on the undergarment. Referring to Figures 1, 5 and 7, the cover of the main fastener! ("Main Adhesive Cover") 82 is provided to cover and protect the main body adhesive 74. The cover of the main adhesive 82 may be formed by a thin sheet-like element such as a paper or a plastic film. If a separate release paper is used, it can be formed by any suitable material known in the art for this purpose, such as coated papers. Suitable release papers are described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,917,697 issued to Osborn, April 17, 1990. The cover of the main adhesive has two faces, one of which is a non-tacky face (or removable face) 82A which is capable of releasable attachment with the main fastener, and an opposite face or side 82B. When the main fasteners are formed by adhesive fasteners, the non-tacky face 82A can be provided by attaching or attaching a separate peel-off element to the cover of the main adhesive 82 which is treated with a non-tacky material or treating all or a portion of the cover of the main adhesive 82 with a non-tacky coating, such as by coating with silicone a portion of the cover of the main adhesive 82. Alternately, if the main fasteners 74 are formed by mechanical fasteners, such as VELCRO® fasteners, the non-tacky face can be provided by a non-woven material capable of releasably coupling the mechanical fastening material. The opposite side 81 B of the cover of! Flap adhesive 81 need not have, and preferably does not have, a release coating thereon. The cover of the main adhesive 82 also has longitudinal side portions 82E, a fixed end portion 82C fixed near the second end portion 80B of the main wrapping sheet 80, and a free end portion 82D located near the end edge 28. of the sanitary napkin 20 in the second region 41 (refer to Figure 5). The opposite face 82B of the fixed end portion 82C faces the outer surface 80F near the second end portion 82B and is attached thereto by any suitable means such as adhesive 91. The free end portion 82D is bent in such a manner that the non-sticky face 82A faces the main body adhesive 74 in the second region 41. The cover of the main adhesive 82 can be of any suitable size and shape, although the figures represent a cover of the main adhesive 82 which is only wide and sufficient length to cover and protect the adhesive from the main body 74. Preferably, the side width of the cover of the main adhesive 82 is narrower than that of the main wrap sheet 80. In this way, the longitudinal side portions 82E do not extend towards the sealed frangible region (explained below) of the longitudinal side portions 80D of the main wrapping sheet 80 the which is to complete the individual packing. Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the wrapper 78 having a main wrapper sheet 80 and a main adhesive pad 82. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, instead of being a separate component of the main wrapper sheet 80 , the cover of the main adhesive 82 is an integral portion of the main wrapping sheet 80. The cover of the flap fastener (or "flap adhesive cover") 81 (if provided) covers and protects the flap adhesives 76 in a packaged configuration of the sanitary napkin 20 by the wrapper 78. This also keeps the wings 24 in the folded position on the top sheet 38. Figure 4 shows an example of the flap adhesive cover 81 formed by a cover sheet of the separate flap adhesive before the cover of the flap adhesive 81 is attached to the main wrap sheet 80. Such peel paper 81 can be laminated to the inner surface 80E of the foil sheet. The main wrapper 80 as shown in Figure 2 before or after the fin adhesive adhesive 81 is removably attached to the fin adhesives 76. The fin adhesive adhesive 81 has two faces, one of which is a non-sticky face (or removable face) 81 to which is capable of releasable attachment with the fin clips, and an opposite side or side 81 B. As shown in Figure 2, the non-stick side 81 A is arranged to face toward the flap adhesives 76 in such a manner that it will be able to detachably adhere the flap adhesive 76. The opposite side 81 B faces away from the flap adhesives 76 as shown in Figures 2 and 4. opposite side 81 B is attached to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapping sheet 80 by any suitable means ta! as an adhesive layer 90 as shown in Figure 2. As the main wrapping sheet 80 is removed from the sanitary napkin 20, the cover of the flap adhesive 81 is removed from the flap adhesives 76 of the sanitary napkin 20 while which remains on the main wrapping sheet 80. The non-tacky surface 81 A can be formed by the same material or element as the non-tacky face 82A of the cover of the main adhesive 82. The opposite side 81 B can have, or can not have, a release coating on it. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, the cover of the flap adhesive 81 can be provided on the main wrap sheet 80 as a release coating. The fin adhesives 76 can be releasably attached to the release liner 81. If a release liner is used, the liner can be applied directly to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80. Such a liner can be formed by any subject! known in the art for this purpose, silicone coatings being preferred. If a coating is used, the coating 81 can be provided by coating only that of the main wrapping sheet 80 which will be substantially in contact with the wing adhesives 76. Alternatively, the entire inner surface 80E of the sheet can be coated. Main wrapping 80. Coating the entire inner surface of a wrapper is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,181, 610 entitled "Flexible Contain with Non-Sticky Interior" which was issued to Quic et al. January 1993. The cover of the flap adhesive 81 may be of any suitable size and shape, although the figures represent a flap adhesive cover 81 that is only of sufficient width and length to cover and protect the flap adhesives 76. The wrap 78 may also preferably include an optional pack 86 fastener to retain the package formed by folding the wrapper and the sanitary towel in its confi bent guration. The package fastener 86 is preferably both capable of releasably attaching to the package and capable of being resealed. The package fastener 86 can be formed by any removable and resealable fastener known in the art, such as adhesive dots or patches, tapes, and mechanical fasteners. A package fastener with a pressure sensitive adhesive located on it has been found to work well. The package fastener 86 may be disposed at any suitable location on the wrapper 78. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the package fastener 86 is preferably positioned on the first opposite end portion 80A of the main wrapper sheet 80. Figures 9 to 11 show an example of a process for packing the sanitary napkin 20 within the shell 78. In this embodiment, the flap adhesive cover 81 is provided and is a separate flap adhesive cover sheet. The cover of the main adhesive 82 is a separate single sheet. Before packing the sanitary napkin 20 in the wrapper 78, the first wings 24 are folded over the top sheet »I (that is, the body surface 20A). Bending of the fins 24 in the configuration shown in Figure 6 exposes the adhesive patches 76 arranged on the garment surface 20B of the fins 24 and causes the fins 24 to cover at least a portion of the topsheet 38. The fins left and right bent 24 are connected together by the flap adhesive cover 81. The flap adhesive cover 81 covers the flap adhesive 76 (not shown in Figures 9 to 11) and keeps the flaps 24 in the folded position on the sheet. upper 38. The adhesive layer 90 is provided on the opposite side 81 B of the fin adhesive cover 81. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the sanitary napkin 20 is placed on top of the main wrapping sheet 80 (ie, the inner surface 80E) such that the opposite side 81 B of the adhesive cover of flap 81 faces the inner surface 80E of the main wrapping sheet! 80. In this way the cover of! Flap adhesive 81 is attached to the main wrap sheet 80 by the adhesive layer 90. The body surface 20A faces the inner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80. Arranging the body surface 20A of the sanitary pad 20 Giving towards the main wrapping sheet 80 can be considered to provide protection to prevent the upper sheet 38 from becoming stained before being used. Alternatively, the flap adhesive cover 81 can be attached to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapping sheet 80 before the flap adhesive cover 81 is removably affixed to the wing adhesives 76. In this In this case, the sanitary napkin 20 is placed on the upper part of the main wrapping sheet 80 in such a way that the wing adhesives 76 are located on the cover of the wing adhesive 81 on the main wrapping sheet 80. The body adhesive main 74 on the garment surface 20B is covered by the cover of the main adhesive 82 as shown in Figure 10. As shown, in the configuration where the cover of the main adhesive 82 has not yet been attached to the main wrapping sheet 80, the fixed end portion 80A of the cover of the main adhesive 82 is located near the first end portion 80A of the main wrapping sheet 80. The free end portion 82D is located a close to the second end portion 80B of the main wrapping sheet 80. The fixed end portion 82C is located in the third region 83 and the free end portion 82D is located in the second region 41. The cover of the main adhesive 82 can be removably affixed to the main body adhesive 74 before or after the sanitary napkin 20 is placed over the main wrapping sheet 80. The adhesive layer 91 is provided on the opposite side 82B of the cover of the main adhesive 82 near the first end portion 82C of the cover of the main adhesive 82. The adhesive layer 91 may be applied thereto at any time before the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 are folded as a unit. After disposing sanitary napkin 20 on the main wrapping sheet 80 as shown in Figure 10, the sanitary napkin 20 will then preferably be folded as a unit, together with the wrapping 78 including the main wrapping sheet 80, the cover of the flap adhesive 81, and the cover of the main adhesive 82, in three regions that are defined by the fold axes F1 and F2. The fold axes F1 and F2 will divide both the sanitary napkin 20 and the sheath 78 in three regions including the first region 39, the second region 41 and the third region 43. As shown in Figure 10, the central region ( the first region) 39 is located between the preferred double axes F1 and F2. The second and third regions 41 and 43 are located longitudinally outside the fold axes F1 and F2. As described above, the main body portion 22 is also separated in the fold axes F1 and F2 in three sections including the first section 36, the second section 34, and the third section 32. Each section 36, 34 and 32 generally extend in each region 39, 41 and 41 respectively (refer to Figure 1 as well). As shown in Figure 10, the sanitary napkin 20 and wrap 78 of the second region 41 is folded as a unit toward the sanitary napkin 20 of the first region 39 such that the garment surface 20B of the sanitary napkin 20 is oriented inward with respect to the folded unit and the main wrapping sheet 80 is oriented outwardly with respect to the folded unit (refer to Figure 11 as well). Then, the sanitary napkin 20 and the sheath 78 of the third region 43 are folded over the sheath 78 (ie, the main sheath sheet 80) of the second region 41 such that the garment surface 20B of the third region 43 faces towards the outer surface 80F of the main wrapper sheet 80. Because of the adhesive layer 91 disposed on the cover of the main adhesive 82, the fixed end portion 82C of the main adhesive cover 82 joins the the outer surface 80F near the second end portion 80B of the main wrapping sheet 80 as shown in Figure 12. In the folded configuration, the body surface 20A of the sanitary napkin 20 is covered by the wrapping sheet principal! 80. In addition, the garment surface 20B is oriented inward with respect to the folded unit of the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78. Preferably, in the folded configuration, the sanitary napkin 20 is completely enveloped by the main wrapper sheet 80. and the main wrapping sheet is not exposed to the outside! 80 (ie none of the Body surface 20A and the garment surface 20B are exposed to the outside of the main wrapper sheet 80). Alternatively, the sanitary napkin 20 can be folded together with the sheath 78 in two regions that are divided by a bend axis. In such a case, the sanitary napkin 20 and the sheath 78 are folded around the shaft such that a portion of the sanitary napkin 20 in one region faces toward a portion of the sanitary napkin 20 in the other region. In this configuration, the garment surface of the sanitary napkin 20 is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit of the sanitary napkin 20 and the i- # sheath. Preferably, to complete the individual packing of the sanitary napkin 20 in the wrapper 78, each longitudinal side portion 80D of the main wrapper sheet 80 is then frangibly sealed as shown in Figure 13 after the sanitary napkin 20 and The wrapper 78 is in a folded configuration. The frangible seal of the longitudinal side portions 80D of the main wrapping sheet 80 can be achieved by any suitable sealing technique. By way of example only, the longitudinal side portions 80D can be heat sealed, bonded, or ultrasonically joined. The total sanitary napkin 20 is thus protected until the main wrapping sheet 80 is opened. Suitable methods for frangibly sealing the longitudinal side portions are described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 4,556,146 issued to Swanson. . Figure 13 depicts the package for the sanitary towel formed by folding the wrapper 78 and the sanitary napkin 20 in a preferred configuration for boarding, came, and convenient carrying by the user. The user will ordinarily carry the sanitary napkin individually packaged in the manner shown in Figure 13. The individually packaged sanitary napkin can be opened by separating the package fastener 86 from the wrapper 78 and breaking the frangible seals along the longitudinal side portions 80D of the main wrapping sheet 80 such that the sanitary napkin 20 of the third region 43 is opened from the main wrapping sheet 80 of the second region 41 as shown in Figure 14. Because the fixed end portion 82C is attached to the outer surface 80F of the main wrapping sheet 80, the fixed end portion 82C remains with the main wrapping sheet 80. In this way a part of the main body adhesive 74 located in the third region 43 is automatically exposed in a matching manner as the third region 43 of the second region is opened 41. Then the second region 41 is open from? the first region 39 in order to further expose the main body adhesive 74 located in the first region 39 as shown in FIG.

. Therefore, by opening the wrapped sanitary napkin, at least a portion of the main body adhesive 74 is exposed in such a way that it will be able to attach to the crotch region of the undergarment, while the body surface 20A (not shown) in Figure 15) the sanitary napkin 20 is still covered by the main wrapping sheet 80 to protect it from contamination. As the picture shows 16, the sanitary napkin 20, with which body surface 20A (not shown) is covered by the main wrapping sheet 80, is placed over the crotch portion 100 of the undergarment 102 in such a way that the main adhesive 74 (now exposed) is given inside the crotch region 100. This can be done without touching the body surface 20A (which will subsequently directly touch the wearer's body during use) because the body surface 20A is still covered by the main wrapping sheet! 80. In addition, the adhesive of the first flap 76 does not inadvertently stick to the hands of the user or to a portion of the sanitary napkin 20 because the adhesive of the first flap 76 is covered by the main wrapper sheet 80. In this method, during the process of applying the sanitary towel 20 to the undergarment 102, the main wrapping sheet 80 does not easily disengage from the sanitary napkin 20 because the main wrapping sheet 80 and the sanitary napkin 20 are fixed to each other by means of the adhesive 76. Although the main wrapping sheet 80 is removably attached to the sanitary napkin 20, it can be controlled such that the main wrapping sheet 80 does not easily detach from the sanitary napkin 20 during the process of application of the sanitary napkin 20 to the undergarment. The configuration (as large as the fin fasteners are) and / or adhesion strength of the fin adhesive 76 may be independently chosen to control it. The adjustment to the configuration (for example, the largest area of the adhesive) and / or the adhesion strength (for example, the adhesion strength * average of the adhesive) has no impact on comfort on the user's skin during the use of the sanitary napkin 20. As the configuration of the flap adhesive 76 becomes larger and / or the adhesion strength becomes greater, the main shroud sheet 80 will tend not to disengage from the absorbent article. Further, in this embodiment, because the flap adhesive 76 is used to releasably secure the main wrapping sheet 80 to the sanitary napkin 20, no additional means is necessary to secure the main wrapping sheet 80 and the sanitary napkin 20, such as the adhesives provided on the topsheet which can cause skin problems or cause the user to feel sticky. Because the body surface 20A (not shown in Figure 16) is covered by the main wrapping sheet 80, the body surface 20A is protected against contamination during the process of applying the sanitary towel 20 to the inner garment. . Therefore, the wearer can push the side of the main wrapping sheet 80 into the undergarment 102 to secure the main adhesive 74 to the crotch portion 100. Then the wearer pulls the pack holder 86 to remove the sheet of main wrap 80 of the sanitary napkin 20 which is secured to the crotch portion 100 of the undergarment 102. As shown in Figure 17, as the main wrapper sheet 80 is removed, the flap adhesive cover 81 which is attached to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapping sheet 80 is removed from the flap adhesive 76. The user pulls plus the main wrapping sheet 80 to remove the main wrapping sheet 80 from the sanitary napkin 20 as shown in FIG. Figure 18. Because the fixed end portion 82C of the cover of the main adhesive 82 is attached to the outer surface 80F of the main wrap sheet 80 near the second end portion 80. B of the second region 41, the wearer is able to peel off the cover of the main adhesive 82 together with the main wrapping sheet 80 of the adhesive from the & amp;E. ; main body 74 without feeling the shear stress between them. In this way, after placing the sanitary napkin 20 with the main wrapping sheet 80 against the crotch region 100 (FIG. 16), the removal of the main wrapping sheet 80 and the cover of the main adhesive 82 can be done at a simple movement of pulling a part of the main wrapping sheet 80. After completing the removal, the user reverses the flap 24 towards the outer surface of the undergarment. Once the sanitary napkin is removed from the wrapper 78 and installed in the wearer's undergarment, the wearer can fold the wrap 78, secure the wrap 78 in its bent orientation by reattaching the resealable package fastener 86 to the wrapping 78. The wearer can then store the folded wrap 78 to rewrap and remove the used sanitary napkin. The user need not worry about collecting and disposing of the cover, release of the flap adhesive 81 and the cover of the main adhesive 82 since the cover of the flap adhesive 81 and the cover of the main adhesive 82 are attached to the main wrapping sheet 80. Therefore, the present invention provides the user with a clean sanitary napkin 20 which is easily installed while maintaining the body surface hygienic and without additional waste-pieces that must be collected. Various alternative embodiments of the present invention are possible. For example, in the embodiment explained above, instead of having the fins 24, the sanitary towel 20 can be formed by only the main body portion without the fins 24. In such a case, a releasable bonding medium between the surface can be provided. of body 20A of sanitary napkin 20 and main shroud sheet 80. Such releasable joining means can be formed by any suitable means. Preferably, the attachment means are formed by means which does not have a negative impact on the skin of the wearer, but has sufficient adhesion strength to fix the main wrapping sheet 80 to the body surface 20A in such a way that the? main wrapping sheet 80 does not disengage from the main body portion 22 even during the sanitary towel application process 20. If the main wrapping sheet 80 and the body surface 20A (ie, the topsheet 38) are formed By a thermoplastic material, these can be melted together at one or more small points. However, the number of melted points and the area of the melted points are preferably chosen so as not to give a rigid or stiffened feel to the user due to the melted area while the main wrapping sheet 80 is easily detached from the body surface 20A. Although less preferred, adhesive may be used to bond the main wrap sheet 80 and the body surface 20A. The sanitary towel 20 may have another pair of additional fins. The additional fins extend laterally outwardly beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of the main body portion! 22. The additional fins are cooked close to an end edge 28 of the main body portion 22 and spaced apart from the fins 24 in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 22. The additional fins each preferably have additional fasteners over the same, such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive fastener, to releasably secure the additional fins of the sanitary napkin 20 in a configuration that remains extended in the posterior region of the interior of a wearer's undergarment. The additional fin adhesives are used to help keep the additional fins in position after they have been made to extend into the posterior region of the interior of the pant. In order to cover the additional flap adhesive, an additional flap adhesive cover can be provided. The additional cover of the flap adhesive can be formed by the same material / shape as the flap adhesive cover 81 of the flap adhesive 76 and is attached to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapping sheet.

It will be recognized that the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is given merely by way of illustration, and that numerous modifications and variations may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. . Therefore, the scope of the present invention will be determined by reference to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. An individually packaged absorbent article comprising: a) an absorbent article extending in a length direction and including a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface and a surface of body, wherein the garment surface of the main body portion has a main fastener, b) a wrap for the absorbent article, the envelope having a main wrap sheet and a main fastener cover, wherein c) the surface body of the main body portion is arranged to face towards the main wrapping sheet, and the main bracket of the main body portion is covered by the cover of the main bracket, wherein the cover of the main bra is attached to the sheet of the main envelope, and d) the main body portion and the envelope are folded as a unit at least around of a transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly relative to the folded unit, wherein at least a portion of the main fastener is exposed when the envelope is opened.

The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the main wrapping sheet has a pair of longitudinal side portions, a first end portion, and a second end portion, the cover of the main holder has a pair of portions longitudinal sides, and a fixed end portion, and a free end portion, the fixed end portion located near the second end portion of the main wrapping sheet in the bent configuration, and wherein the fixed end portion is attached to the second end portion of the main wrapping sheet.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the main body portion and the envelope have two transverse axes and three regions, wherein the two axes have a first axis and a second axis, and the three regions have a first region. , a second region and a third region, wherein the first region and the second region are separated by the first axis, and the first region and the third region are separated by the second axis, wherein the main body portion and the envelope are bent along the first axis such that the main body portion of the second region overlaps the main body portion of the first region, and bent along the second axis so that the body portion The main region of the third region is superimposed on the main wrapping sheet of the second region.

The absorbent article according to claim 3, wherein the fixed end portion of the cover of the main fastener is attached to the second end portion of the main cover sheet of the second region.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the cover of the main fastener extends at least in a portion of the third region, wherein the fixed end portion of the cover of the main fastener is attached to the second portion of the fastener. end of the main wrapping sheet of the second region.

6. The absorbent article according to claim 5, wherein the cover of the main fastener extends to the length of the first region, the second region, and the third region. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the cover of the main fastener is formed by a separate element of the main wrapping sheet. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the absorbent article has a pair of fins attached to the main body portion and extending laterally outwardly beyond the longitudinal side edges of the main body portion., the garment surface of the fin has a fin fastener. The absorbent article according to claim 8, wherein the fins are bent over the body surface of the main body portion to expose the fin fasteners, wherein the fin fastener is releasably attached to the leaf. of main wrapping. The absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein the wrapper includes a fin clip cover provided on the main wrap sheet, wherein the tab fastener is removably attached to the fin clip fastener cover.