MXPA96003985A - An article absorbs - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an absorbent article, such as a diaper or incontinence protector, including a front part (13) and a back part (14) and a crotch part (15) that lies between them. The article also includes an absorbent body (1) which is enclosed between a canvas (7) of external coating impermeable to the liquid and a canvas (8) of liquid-permeable internal coating, which, when the article is used, remains close to the body of the user. Positioned on the respective sides of the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the article, are the fins (9, 10), flexible that extend longitudinally, each of which is connected along one of its longitudinal edges with the inner lining canvas. and which extend transversely to the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the article from this fixing site. According to the invention, the fins (9, 10) are joined together in the crotch part (15) of the article.

Description

_ "AN ABSORBENT ARTICLE" The present invention relates to an absorbent article such as a diaper with an incontinence protector that includes a front part, a back part, and a crotch portion that lies between them, and that also includes an absorbent body that is enclosed between an outer lining canvas, impermeable to liquid, and an outer lining canvas, permeable to liquid whose canvas subsequently remains close to the body of the wearer when the article is in use, and fins that extend longitudinally of a flexible material placed on both sides of the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the article, where each of the fins is fixed to the inner lining canvas along one of its longitudinal edges, wherein the fins extend transversely to the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the article from their respective attachment points. An absorbent article of this kind is known from U.S. Patent Number 4,704,116. The fins are intended to inhibit the lateral flow of urine along the upper canvas of the article and form lateral barriers that prevent the lateral escape of solid excrement. The fins are also intended to form together with the internal liner "containers" that isolate the user's skin from contact with the excrement stored in them. The main object of the present invention is to improve the insulation properties of the fins of an absorbent article of this kind. This object is achieved with an absorbent article of the kind defined in the introduction, which is characterized in that the fins are joined together in the crotch part of the article. This construction reduces the risk of the fins being brought into an incorrect position when the article is placed or as a result of undesirable lateral movement while the article is being used. In addition, the joint between the fins works to retain the mutual distances between the mutually facing edges of the fins while using the article. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fins are joined by means of a thin strip of liquid-permeable or liquid-impermeable material and are tapered from their respective attachment points towards the respective front and rear article parts. The connection or connection between the fins is positioned longitudinally between the wetting point and the fecal discharge point and the fins extend longitudinally from a front part of the front of the article to a rear part of the back of the article. The elastic devices in the form of elastic threads preferably extend along the mutually facing longitudinal edges of the fins. According to another advantageous embodiment, the joint between the fins is made with a piece of material that is fixed to the fins and to the covering canvas / • internal respectively along their opposite edges by means of transversal fixing lines. In this modality, when the article is used, the piece of material will form a wall that delimits the part of the posterior article from its front part and with it the contact between urine and fecal matter is avoided. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which * > * - which Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a modality of a diaper of the invention that is taken obliquely from above; Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the diaper shown in Figure 1 taken from above, with the diaper in a flat condition; Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematic of the diaper shown in Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5 are views corresponding to the views presented in Figures 2 and 3 and illustrate a second embodiment of the diaper of the invention, and Figures 6 and 7 are views corresponding to the views presented in Figures 2 and 3. and illustrate a third embodiment of a diaper of the invention. The diaper illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 includes an absorbent body 1 which in the case of the embodiment illustrated comprises a main body 2 in the shape of hourglass and two 3, 4 lateral bodies. The main body 2 comprises two canvases 5, 6. The upper canvas 5 and the lateral bodies 3, 4 comprise a cellulose spongy material placed in the air. The lower canvas 6 preferably comprises cellulose fibers placed in the air and preferably compressed more intensely than the upper canvas 5. Alternatively, s *. the upper canvas 6 may comprise an absorbent material of the type described in Swedish Patent Application Number 9203445-3, which includes a canvas formed in that contains 5 percent to 100 percent cellulose fibers and has a density between 0.2 and 1.0 gram per cubic centimeter, and a surface weight of between 30 and 2,000 grams per square meter and that has been formed by compressing a tape continuous containing fibers of cellulose without subsequent defibration and spongy construction. The reader can refer to the aforementioned patent application for a more detailed study of the type of reel material. As will be seen from Figure 4, the canvas 6 is rectangular in shape and extends below only a part of the canvas 5. The absorbent body 1 is enclosed between an outer canvas or lower canvas 7 or a material impervious to liquid, for example polyethylene plastic and a canvas 8 permeable to the internal liquid that of -or preference is made of a non-woven material. The canvas 8 is preferably similar to the lower canvas 7 and the canvases are joined together in the parts that remain outside the absorbent body 1. As will be better seen from Figure 4, the lateral bodies 3, 4 are placed laterally slightly beyond the main body 2 and the canvases 7, 8 are joined together in the space A. presented between the main body and the lateral bodies. The diaper also includes two fins that are longitudinally extend 9, 10 which are fixed to the inner lining canvas 8 at their mutually distant longitudinal edges and at their ends. The mutually proximal longitudinal edges 11, 12 of the fins 9, 10 extend converging towards each other from the ends.

The respective ends of the front part 13 of the diaper, and the rear part 14 of the diaper, to a point in the crotch region 15 where the fins are joined together by a strip of material 16. The fins and strip preferably they are made of the same material as the internal lining cloth, although this is not a necessary feature, since the fins and the strip can be made of any material in suitable canvases flexible and favorable to the skin. An elastic yarn 17, 18 stretches along the respective edges 11, 12, 0 of each fin 9, 10. It will be understood that more elastic yarns and / or other yarns may be used instead of the individual yarns 17, 18. types of elasticity means such as an elastic tape, film tapes having elastic properties, etc. 15 Strip 16 is placed between the wetting point and the point of discharge of the fecal matter _, -_ of the diaper. By wetting point is meant that region of the diaper within which it is expected that the urine be discharged when the diaper is in place. correctly positioned in the user, while correspondingly through the point of discharge of fecal matter is meant to imply that region within which the fecal material will be discharged when the diaper is correctly placed, ie the regions that are opposite to the uterine orifice and the user's stitch while the normal variations of the user's anatomy are taken into account within the user's size scale for which the diaper is sized. 5 The two elastic strands 17, 18 of the fins 9, are fixed to the fins in an elongated or tensioned state with the aid of thin strips of a nonwoven material (not shown) which are gummed into the respective threads and fins or fixed in some other appropriate manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the strips are placed along the entire length of the threads and the threads are thus fixed to the fins along their entire length. This is not absolutely necessary, however, since the desired function can also be achieved holding the threads on the fins at their respective ends and within the region of the strip 16. s »According to a variant, the non-woven strips are secured on the upper canvas along the edges in order to form passages of elastic thread guide. In this In this case, it will be sufficient to fasten the threads on the upper canvas at the ends of the passages. Therefore, when the nonwoven strips extend along the entire length of the yarns, it is sufficient to fix the ends of the yarns at the ends of the fins. The preferential yarns extend freely in these guide passages, which can be formed by folding portions of the edge of the fins as well as to form the strips non-woven integrally with the fins. The threads can also be fixed directly to the upper canvas by the known technique of Swedish Patent Application Number 9304232-3 filed on December 21, 1993. This Application describes the manner in which the elastic elements can be attached directly • and with an underlying substrate with the help of thermoplastic j.0 components that are fastened to the elastic elements by mechanical or chemical adhesion and which are bonded to the underlying substrate, preferably by ultrasonic welding. The reader's attention is drawn to this Swedish patent application mentioned last for a more thorough study in this regard. As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the diaper r includes elastification for the leg in the form of elastic devices 19, 20 extending along the side edges of the part 15 and crotch as shown in FIG. along part of the respective front and back sides 13 and 14 of the diaper. In the illustrated case, the elastic devices comprise four elastic threads that have been fixed in an elongated state between the outer covering canvas 7 and the covering canvas 8. internal and have been fixed to these canvases. It will be understood that the elastification for the leg may comprise a greater or lesser number of four elastic yarns, and that other types of elastic devices such as an elastic tape, a film tape having elastic properties, etc. may also be used. Figure 2 shows a diaper in the flat state by means of which it is intended to convey the state that the diaper has during its manufacture, where the diaper is ^ ,. retained elongated against the forces of restoration of spring exerted by the elastic devices mounted on it. When the finished diaper is released from these retention forces, the elastic devices 17 to 20 try to contract to a completely relaxed state and thus bring the diaper into the configuration shown in Figures 1 and 3. The contraction of the threads 17, 18 gives / .. result shortening and withdrawal of fins 9, . The shortening of the fins is allowed by bending the main body 2 and the absorbent body 1 at the same time that the lateral bodies 3, 4 oscillate upwardly around the respective articulations formed by the facing canvases 7, 8 joined in the space presented between the respective bodies 3, 4 and the main body 2. Because the fins are joined together by the strip 16, the longitudinal fin edges 11, 12 -. «. The mutually facing ones will converge toward each other, moving away from the respective front and rear diaper portions and toward the region of the strip 16, even after the fins have been picked up or folded 5 also by shrinking the threads 17, 18. elastics. In addition, the connections achieved between the fins by means of the strip 16 means that the fins will not rise nor lift the inner lining canvas 8 to the same degree as when the fins are not attached -lO together. It is pointed out in this regard that Figure 1 shows the diaper in the absence of any load therein and that it is not in the state it adopts when it is worn. The configuration adopted by the diaper when worn will depend Naturally of the anatomy of the wearer and the diaper is dimensioned so that in a normal case, the elastic threads 17, 18 will elongate slightly when the diaper is placed. However, the length of the diaper is such that a large part of the folds in the fins will be retained after the diaper is placed, so that the flaps will be separated from the inner lining canvas 8 over most of its extension, even after the diaper is placed. Therefore, when the diaper is worn, it is placed between the fins and the inner lining cloth a space in which both the urine and the fecal material can be retained without coming into contact with the wearer's skin. It will be understood that the distance between the mutually opposite fin edges 11, 12 behind the strip 16, particularly at the point of fecal discharge, is of decisive importance to ensure that the excrement discharged will remain in this space and not in the upper surfaces of the fins. It has been found that the distance between the edges must be at least 3 centimeters from the discharge point of the fecal material, while the trailing edge of the strip 16 must be at least 1 centimeter and preferably 2 centimeters. forward of the point of discharge of the fecal matter, and that the strip must have a length of at least 2 centimeters. Because the elastic threads 17, 18 exert a spring force both in the longitudinal and transverse direction of the diaper, both the strip and the long edges 11, 12 of the fins will be retained in elongated relationship when the diaper is worn, at 0 To ensure that the above-mentioned distances are maintained when the diaper is worn. In order to achieve a high elongation effect, the ends of the fins and with this also the ends of the threads 17, 18 will preferably be transversely on a level with the longitudinally extending edges of the absorbent body 1. In addition to picking up flaps 9 and 10, the elastic threads 17, 18 also provide a sealing function against the body of the wearer when the diaper is worn. This greatly reduces the risk that the urine discharged by the male users will fall on the upper sides of the fins and run along the surfaces instead of being deposited on the inner lining cloth and absorbed there by the absorbent body. . Because the yarns extend along the longitudinal edges of the fins 11, 12, the risk of the position of the fins changing from the position acquired when the diaper is placed as a result of the external loads to which it is attached. the diaper, for example, due to a movement of the user, is also reduced at the same time. Another advantage is that if the absorbent body is pressed against the wearer's body by an external load, it is more difficult that urine and fecal matter can escape above the edges 11, 12 of the fin and towards the upper surfaces. of the fins and there they mix together. It has been found that in order to achieve these sealing functions, the distance between the longitudinal edges 11, 12 of the fins in the center of the point of discharge of the fecal material should be 6 centimeters at most and preferably less than 5 centimeters. centimeters. The length of the narrow strip 16 preferably will not exceed 4 centimeters. The strip 16 may also consist of elastic material in order to ensure that the strip 16 is sealed against the body. However, this is not necessary in the case of the illustrated configuration since the elastic threads 17, 18 retain the tensioned and pressed strip against the body of the user, as mentioned above. From an absorption aspect, the lateral bodies 3, 4 do not join the rest of the absorbent body 1 and form safety bodies that absorb the liquid when the main absorbent body becomes saturated or is unable to absorb the discharged fluid due to some other reason . In addition to this function, the lateral bodies contribute to the stability of the basin formed by the contraction or withdrawal of the fins, and prevent the entire main body from being placed against the body of the user when the diaper is subjected to an external load. In the case of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the fins 9, 10 and the strip are formed integrally with one another. How will it be understood, this ~? -. it is not absolutely necessary since the strip 16 can be fastened to the fins in any suitable manner, for example by gluing, and can still be made of a different material. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention that differs from the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 mainly due to the fact that the fins have been joined together in a slightly -? / Different manner. In Figures 4 and 5, those elements that functionally correspond to similar elements in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 have been identified by the same reference signs to which a premium has been added. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, a tubular body 21 is mounted in a flattened state between the underside of the fins 9 ', 10' and the inner lining canvas 8 'extends transversely between the fin bindings on the coating canvas 8' and is placed longitudinally between the point of wetting and the point of discharge of the fecal matter. The upper and lower side of the tubular body 21 are fastened respectively on the underside of the fins and on the inner facing canvas 8 'by means of a connection or joint having a small extension in the longitudinal direction of the diaper, v .gr., by means of a pearl or rubber cord. Since the upper side and the lower side of the tubular body 21 are fastened respectively on the fins and on the inner lining canvas 8 along a narrow flange 22 and 23 respectively, these parts of the tubular body will also be at a distance one from the other. other so that it corresponds to these elements when - > J the elastic threads 17 ', 18' are contracted. This is due to that the tubular body must be raised or unfolded from its flattened state shown in Figure 4. The tubular body of the illustrated embodiment is dimensioned in such a manner in the diaper configuration illustrated in Figure 5, the body is lifted as if to be crushed practically completely in the plane of longitudinal symmetry of the diaper, in a plane at right angles with , _ with respect to this plane of symmetry and with respect to the absorbent body 1 'as will be seen from the Figure. The tubular body 21 rises successively from its flattened state shown in Figure 4 in a direction towards the mutually opposite longitudinal edges 11 ', 12' of the fins and is higher between these edges, as will be seen from Figure 5 showing the tubular body completely raised in the part thereof which is placed between fins. In this embodiment, the tubular body will therefore - * »be folded or picked up to a desired degree in the direction of the edges of the diaper. According to a variant, the tubular body can be provided with a circumference that decreases successively in a direction 5 towards the lateral edges of the diaper, from a central part delimited by the longitudinal edges 11 ', 12' of the fins 9 ', 10' . The tubular body 21 forms a barrier that ^ delimit the spaces below the fins 9 ', 10', one of the other in the longitudinal direction. This prevents urine and fecal matter from mixing together. If the urine and fecal matter are mixed, the enzymes in the fecal matter will separate or divide the urea in the urine, thus forming ammonia. This will result in a more pH elevated, which in turn would result in higher activity than the enzyme protease and the lipase in the / m excrement, resulting in increased irritation to the skin in case the excrement comes in contact with the skin. The provision also ensures that the excrement does not is deposited in the space in front of the tubular body 21 and with this is placed in contact with the genitals of the user. The tubular body 21 may comprise a liquid impermeable or liquid permeable material and comprises conveniently the same material as that used for the "external coating canvas, the inner lining canvas or the fins. Instead of using the tubular body 21 which provides a two-walled barrier as illustrated in Figure 5, the barrier may comprise a single wall 5 of flexible material that is mounted in a bent or corrugated state, for example in a similar state. to a bellows, between the inner lining cloth and the fins and fixed thereto in the same way as the body 21 ^ tubular. Figures 6 and 7 are views corresponding to the views shown in Figures 2 and 3 and illustrate a diaper that is provided with a single-wall or canvas-like barrier 24. The diaper illustrated in these figures includes a rectangular absorbent body 25 is enclosed between the canvases 26 and 27 of external and internal coating, and further includes two fins 28, 29 corresponding to the fins 9 ', 10' of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, and which are attached to the canvas 27 of internal coating. The diaper includes an elastic 30, 31 for the leg and elements 32, 33 elastic similar to the diapers described above. The barrier 24 comprises a rectangular piece of a material impermeable to liquid or permeable to liquid which, in the form of a single fold, is mounted between the fins and the canvas of inner lining in the same manner as that - "described for the tubular body 21. The removal of the piece 24 of material as a result of the gathering of the fins at a point A in the vicinity of the lateral edge of the absorbent body, and respectively at a point B 5 placed between the side edges of the absorbent body is indicated in dotted and continuous lines respectively, while the removal of the piece of material at a point C between these positions is indicated in lines _ ^ broken in Figure 7. In the modality illustrated in Figures 4 and 6, the mutually opposite longitudinal edges of the fins 9 '10' and 28, 29 respectively extend in an arcuate shape at their end portions. This configuration is, of course, also possible for the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3. It will be understood that the above-described and illustrated embodiments of the invention are , "May be modified within the scope of the invention. For example, the fins can be formed integrally with the inner lining canvas and a construction configuration different than that shown, to the absorbent body. The tubular body can also be formed by a fold in the internal lining canvas that has been sealed in that part that joins the rest of the canvas related and fastened to the fins together with the assembly of the same. The -A. configurations and dimensions of the fins can also be varied. It will also be understood that the invention can be applied to diapers whose absorbent bodies have a construction and configuration different from that shown, for example, the rectangular absorbent bodies comprise one or more absorbent layers with or without a mixture of so-called superabsorbent materials. The invention can also be applied to so-called similar diapers __ training pants or panties and with protectors incontinence. Therefore, the invention is restricted only by the content of the following claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. An absorbent article such as a diaper or incontinence protector, having a front part (13; 13 '), a back part (14; 14') and a crotch part (15; 15 ') that lies between them , wherein the article includes an absorbent body (1; 1 '; 25) which is enclosed between a coating fabric impermeable to the external liquid (7; 7'; 26) and a coating cloth permeable to the internal liquid (8; '; 27), this last canvas is close to the wearer's body during use, and wherein the article also includes the opposite sides of the longitudinal symmetry axis of the flexible article, the longitudinally extending fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10'; 28, 29), each of which is connected to the inner lining fabric along one of its longitudinal edges and which extend transversely from this fixing point towards the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the article, characterized in that the fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10 28, 29) are joined together in the crotch part (15; 15 ') of the article, and in that the distance between the longitudinal edges (11, 12; 11', 12 ') of the fins in the inside of the point of discharge of the fecal matter is at most 6 centimeters.

2. An article according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection between the fins (9, 10) comprises a narrow strip (16) of a material permeable to liquid or impervious to liquid. An article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10'; 28, 29) are tapered towards the respective front and rear article parts (13, 14; 13 ' , 14 ') from the place where the fins join together. An article according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the connection (16; 21; 24) between the fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10'; 28, 29) is placed longitudinally between the point of wetting and the point of discharge of the fecal matter. An article according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10', 28, 29) extend longitudinally from a front part of the front article part (13; 13 ') to a posterior part of the back of the article (14; 14'). An article according to any of claims 1, 3 to 5, characterized in that the connection (21; 24) between the fins (9 ', 10'; 28, 29) comprises a piece of material that is fixed at along the edges opposite the fins and the inner lining canvas respectively by means of transverse connecting lines (22, 23). 7. An article according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that 5 the elastic devices (17, 18; 17 ', 18'; 32, 33) extend along the mutually opposite longitudinal edges 811, 12; 11 ', 12') of the fins (9, 10; 9 ', 10'; 28, 29). 8. An article according to claim 10, characterized in that the elastic devices (17, 18; 17 ', 18'; 32, 33) consist of elastic threads. 9. An article according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection (16) between the fins (9, 10) is elastic. An article according to any of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the piece of material (21; 24) connecting the fins (9 ', 10'; 28, 29) extends transversely from one to the other of 0. the longitudinally extending edges of the fins, connected to the inner lining canvas (8 '; 27), in such a way that the piece of material (21; 24) will form a barrier between a front space and a rear space defined by the fins and the underlying absorbent body (1'; 25).