WO2020029240A1

WO2020029240A1 - Wearable article having improved disposal tape

Info

Publication number: WO2020029240A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/099929
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ying Yao; Xu Gao; Koichi Morimoto
Original assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
Priority date: 2018-08-10
Filing date: 2018-08-10
Publication date: 2020-02-13
Also published as: CN112512477B; CN112512477A

Abstract

A wearable article (20) continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising: a center chassis (38) and a ring-like elastic belt (40) comprising a first belt (85) and a second belt; the center of the first belt (85) is joined to a first waist panel (55) of the center chassis (38), the center of the second belt is joined to a second waist panel of the center chassis (38), and the remainder of the center chassis (38) is a crotch panel (56), the front and back belt (84, 86) each having a left side panel and a right side panel where the center chassis (38) does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the first belt (85) and the second belt are joined by a seam (32) to form a waist opening and two leg openings; wherein the first belt (85) and the second belt are discontinuous of each other in the longitudinal direction; a detaching strip (330) comprising an attaching portion (332) and an extending portion (334), wherein the attaching portion (332) is permanently attached between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55), wherein at least a portion of the extending portion (334) is refastenably attached to the first waist panel (55) by a refastenable means (335), and wherein the attaching portion (332) is disposed distal from the extending portion (334); wherein by releasing the refastenable means (335) and elongating the extending portion (334), there is formed a disposal tape (33) comprising the refastenable means (335) facing body-facing side, the refastenable means (335) being fastenable to a garment facing surface of the article (20).

Description

WEARABLE ARTICLE HAVING IMPROVED DISPOSAL TAPE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wearable articles having a disposal tape with improved features.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Pull-on absorbent articles, or pant-type absorbent articles, are those which are donned by inserting the wearer’s legs into the leg openings and sliding the article up into position about the lower torso. Pant-type absorbent articles have become popular for use on children who are able to walk and often who are toilet training, as well as for younger children who become more active in movement such that application of taped-type absorbent articles tends to be more difficult.

Belt-type pants having a center chassis to cover the crotch region of the wearer and a separate elastic belt defining the waist opening and leg opening are known in the art, such as described in PCT Publication WO 2006/17718A. Such belt-type pants have an elastic belt made of a laminate of nonwoven layers and elastic bodies sandwiched therebetween.

Pant articles which do not have fastening means may be equipped with a disposal tape on the garment facing surface which enables the used pant to be wrapped around itself prior to disposal. Further, the disposal tape may help distinguish front and back of the article, which may otherwise look similar. By wrapping around itself, the used article can be kept in a closed posture to avoid exposure of bodily exudates, and can be made compact. In order to endure the stretching forces that may be applied to the disposal tape upon such wrapping action, the disposal tape may be made by durable plastic material, and with a colored opening tab to signal where to open the disposal tape. All of the above characteristics of such a disposal tape has a number of disadvantages. The plastic aesthetic and tactile sense of the disposal tape may not harmonize well with the garment facing surface of the article. Further, the disposal tape may be opened prematurely by being accessible to the very young wearer or by inadvertently attaching to the inner surface of clothing. Still further, in that the disposal tape is typically disposed on the back side and configured to extend upwards, while fecal exudates may also be deposited on the back side, wrapping of the disposal tape after use by pressing against the back side may risk squeezing out exudates from the article.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a wearable article having a disposal tape with improved function, as well as favorable tactile and aesthetic sense for the overall article. There is further a need for providing such a wearable article in an economical manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wearable article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising;

a center chassis and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a first belt (85) and a second belt; the center of the first belt (85) is joined to a first waist panel (55) of the center chassis, the center of the second belt is joined to a second waist panel of the center chassis, and the remainder of the center chassis is a crotch panel, the front and back belt each having a left side panel and a right side panel where the center chassis does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the first belt (85) and the second belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings; wherein the first belt (85) and the second belt are discontinuous of each other in the longitudinal direction;

a detaching strip (330) comprising an attaching portion (332) and an extending portion (334) , wherein the attaching portion (332) is permanently attached between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55) , wherein at least a portion of the extending portion (334) is refastenably attached to the first waist panel (55) by a refastenable means (335) , and wherein the attaching portion (332) is disposed distal from the extending portion (334) ;

wherein by releasing the refastenable means (335) and elongating the extending portion (334) , there is formed a disposal tape (33) comprising the refastenable means (335) facing the body-facing side, the refastenable means (335) being fastenable to a garment facing surface of the article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as forming the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and which like designations are used to designate substantially identical elements, and in which:

Figure 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a wearable article of the present invention showing the second belt.

Figure 1B is a schematic view of Figure 1A in a contracted condition showing the first belt (85) .

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a wearable article of the present invention with the seams unjoined and in a flat uncontracted condition showing the garment facing surface.

Figure 3A is a schematic cross section view of Figure 1B taken along line L1 in one embodiment of the first belt.

Figure 3B is a schematic cross section view of Figure 1B taken along line L1 in another embodiment of the first belt.

Figure 3C is a schematic cross section view of Figure 3A in elongated state of the disposal tape.

Figure 3D is a schematic view of Figure 3A in elongated state of the disposal tape.

Figure 4A is a schematic view of Figure 1B in a wrapped state by the disposal tape.

Figure 4B is a schematic view of Figure 1B in another wrapped state by the disposal tape.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meaning specified thereafter:

“Wearable article" refers to articles of wear which may be in the form of pants, taped diapers, incontinent briefs, feminine hygiene garments, and the like. The “wearable article” may be so configured to also absorb and contain various exudates such as urine, feces, and menses discharged from the body. The “wearable article” may serve as an outer cover adaptable to be joined with a separable disposable absorbent insert for providing absorbent and containment function, such as those disclosed in PCT publication WO 2011/087503A.

“Pant” refers to disposable absorbent articles having a pre-formed waist and leg openings. A pant may be donned by inserting a wearer's legs into the leg openings and sliding the pant into position about the wearer's lower torso. Pants are also commonly referred to as “closed diapers” , “prefastened diapers” , “pull-on diapers” , “training pants” and “diaper-pants” .

“Longitudinal” refers to a direction running substantially perpendicular from a waist edge to an opposing waist edge of the article and generally parallel to the maximum linear dimension of the article. “Transverse” refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

“Body-facing” and “garment-facing” refer respectively to the relative location of an element or a surface of an element or group of elements. “Body-facing” implies the element or surface is nearer to the wearer during wear than some other element or surface. “Garment-facing” implies the element or surface is more remote from the wearer during wear than some other element or surface (i.e., element or surface is proximate to the wearer’s garments that may be worn over the disposable absorbent article) .

“Disposed” refers to an element being located in a particular place or position.

“Joined” refers to configurations whereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element and to configurations whereby an element is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the element to intermediate member (s) which in turn are affixed to the other element.

“Permanently attached” refers to a state whereby an element is directly secured to another element, wherein the other element cannot be removed from the element without destroying the element, or wherein when the other element is removed, the other element can no longer be secured to the element. Permanent attaching means include heat bonding, pressure bonding, ultrasonic bonding, adhesive agent, and combinations thereof.

“Refastenably attached” refers to a state whereby an element is directly secured to another element, wherein the other element is capable of being removed from the element and subsequently secured back to the element. Refastenable attaching means include hook and loop, latch and hole, button and hole, hook and hole, low tackifying adhesive agent, and combinations thereof.

“Proximal” refers to a portion being closer relative to the longitudinal center of the article, while “distal” refers to a portion being farther from the longitudinal center of the article.

“Film” refers to a sheet-like material wherein the length and width of the material far exceed the thickness of the material. Typically, films have a thickness of about 0.5 mm or less.

“Water-permeable” and “water-impermeable” refer to the penetrability of materials in the context of the intended usage of disposable absorbent articles. Specifically, the term “water-permeable” refers to a layer or a layered structure having pores, openings, and/or interconnected void spaces that permit liquid water, urine, or synthetic urine to pass through its thickness in the absence of a forcing pressure. Conversely, the term “water-impermeable” refers to a layer or a layered structure through the thickness of which liquid water, urine, or synthetic urine cannot pass in the absence of a forcing pressure (aside from natural forces such as gravity) . A layer or a layered structure that is water-impermeable according to this definition may be permeable to water vapor, i.e., may be “vapor-permeable” .

“Extendibility" and "extensible" mean that the width or length of the component in a relaxed state can be extended or increased.

“Elasticated” and “elasticized” mean that a component comprises at least a portion made of elastic material.

“Elastic material” , “extensible material” , or “stretchable material” are used interchangeably and refer to a material that, upon application of a biasing force, can stretch to an extended length of at least about 110%of its relaxed, original length (i.e. can stretch to 10 percent more than its original length) , without rupture or breakage, and upon release of the applied force, shows little recovery, less than about 20%of its extention without complete rupture or breakage as measured by EDANA method 20.2-89. In the event such an extensible material recovers at least 40%of its extension upon release of the applied force, the extensible material will be considered to be “elastic” or “elastomeric. ” For example, an elastic material that has an initial length of 100mm can extend at least to 150mm, and upon removal of the force retracts to a length of at least 130mm (i.e., exhibiting a 40%recovery) . In the event the material recovers less than 40%of its extension upon release of the applied force, the extensible material will be considered to be “substantially non-elastic” or “substantially non-elastomeric” . For example, an elastic material that has an initial length of 100mm can extend at least to 150mm, and upon removal of the force retracts to a length of at least 145mm (i.e., exhibiting a 10%recovery) .

“Artwork” refers to a visual presentation to the naked eye, which is provided by printing or otherwise, and having a color. Printing includes various methods and apparatus well known to those skilled in the art such as lithographic, screen printing, flexographic, and gravure ink jet printing techniques.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wearable article (20) of the present invention showing the second belt, Figure 1B is a schematic view of Figure 1A in a contracted condition showing the first belt (85) . Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the same article with the seams unjoined and in its flat uncontracted condition showing the garment-facing surface, and further with the detaching strip removed. In Figures 1B and 2, the position of the elastic bodies (96) may or may not be accurate. The wearable article (20) has a longitudinal centerline L1 which also serves as the longitudinal axis, and a transverse centerline T1 which also serves as the transverse axis. The wearable article (20) has a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a front region (26) , a back region (28) , a crotch region (30) , and seams (32) which join the front region (26) and the back region (28) to form two leg openings and a waist opening. The wearable article (20) comprises a center chassis (38) to cover the crotch region of the wearer, a front belt (84) and a back belt (86) (hereinafter may be referred to as “front and back belts” ) , the front and back belts (84, 86) forming a ring-like elastic belt (40) (hereinafter may be referred to as “waist belt” ) extending transversely defining the waist opening. The front and back belts (84, 86) and the center chassis (38) jointly define the leg openings.

The central chassis (38) may comprise a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core 62 disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and further an outer cover layer 42 for covering the garment-facing side of the backsheet. The topsheet may be a water permeable substrate. The backsheet may be a water impermeable film. The outer cover layer 42 may be a nonwoven sheet. The center chassis (38) may comprise an absorbent core to absorb and retain liquid body exudates. The absorbent core may include acquisition and/or distribution layers to facilitate the acquisition and the distribution of body exudates. The absorbent material existing region (62) is the region wherein absorbent materials in particulate form having a high retention capacity such as absorbent polymers, are present. The absorbent material existing region (62) may be substantially cellulose free, while the acquisition and/or distribution layers may include cellulosic fibers. Absorbent polymers of the absorbent material existing region (62) may be disposed between first and second layers of material and immobilized by a fibrous layer of thermoplastic adhesive material. The first and second layers of materials may be nonwoven fibrous webs including synthetic fibers, such as mono-constituent fibers of PE, PET and PP, multiconstituent fibers such as side by side, core/sheath or island-in-the-sea type fibers. Such synthetic fibers may be formed via a spunbonding process or a meltblowing process.

An absorbent composite may be made of the first layer of nonwoven, the second layer of nonwoven, and absorbent polymers, and the absorbent composite may further be layered. Some portions of the first and second layers of absorbent composite may be configured to have substantially no absorbent material and adhered to each other to form channels. Channels may be useful for allowing the absorbent core to bend upon swelling with fluids to conform to the wearer’s body and prevent sagging of the article.

The vicinity of the longitudinal side edges (48) of the central chassis (38) may be formed into a pair of outer cuffs extending transversely outward from the central chassis (38) , the outer cuffs made by at least the backsheet (60) and the outer cover layer (42) , and optionally also with the topsheet (58) , and further with a cuff material and cuff elastic members. The central chassis (38) may further comprise a pair of inner cuffs extending toward the body facing side, the inner cuff made by cuff material and cuff elastic members.

Referring to Figures 1A and 2, the ring-like belt (40) formed by the front belt (84) and back belt (86) acts to dynamically create fitment forces and to distribute the forces dynamically generated during wear. The front and back belts (84, 86) may be joined with each other only at the side edges (89) at the seams (32) to form a wearable article having a waist opening and two leg openings. Each leg opening may be provided with elasticity around the perimeter of the leg opening by the combination of elasticity from the front belt (84) , the back belt (86) , and any from the center chassis (38) . The front leg opening region is disposed adjacent the leg opening along the proximal edge (90) of the left and right side panels (82) of the front belt (84) .

The front belt (84) and back belt (86) are configured to impart elasticity to the belt (40) . The front belt (84) and the back belt (86) may each be formed by a laminate comprising a plurality of elastic bodies (96) running in the transverse direction, an inner sheet, an outer sheet (92) , and an outer sheet fold over wherein the outer sheet fold over is an extension of the outer sheet material formed by folding the outer sheet material at the distal edge (88) of the front and back belts, the outer sheet fold over directly joined to the center chassis. The front belt (84) and the back belt (86) may each be made only by elastic bodies (96) , the inner sheet, the outer sheet (92) , and the outer sheet fold over. The belt elastic bodies (96) may extend in the transverse direction to provide a ring like elastic belt 40 when the front belt (84) and the back belt (86) are joined. At least some of the elastic bodies (96) extend in the transverse direction substantially parallel to each other. All of the elastic bodies (96) may extend in the transverse direction substantially parallel to each other. Such an article may be economically made. The front and back belt (84, 86) each have transversely continuous proximal and distal edges, the proximal edge (90) being located closer than the distal edge (88) relative to the transverse center line T1. The outer sheet fold over is an extension of the outer sheet material formed by folding the outer sheet material at the distal edge (88) of the front and back belts (84, 86) . The elastic bodies (96) may be disposed in the same or different denier, interval, or force between the front and back, as well as in different longitudinal positions of the belt. The inner and outer sheets (92) may be the same or different material, and selected to provide characteristics such as breathability, softness, cushiony feel, loftiness, and combinations thereof, depending on the desirables of the resulting article. The inner and outer sheets (92) may have the same or different basis weight, stiffness, texture or any combination thereof.

Referring to Figure 2, the transverse width LW of the back belt (86) in the uncontracted condition may be the same as the transverse width of the front belt (84) of the same condition. Such an article may be economically made.

The longitudinal length LB of the back belt (86) between the back distal edge (88) and the back proximal edge (90) along its entire width LW of the back belt (86) may be approximately the same as the longitudinal length LF of the front belt (84) between the front distal edge (88) and the front proximal edge (90) . In such configuration, the seams (32) close the front and back belt (84, 86) side edges (89) of the same length for forming the article. Such an article may be economically made.

As in Figure 2, the back belt (86) may have a greater longitudinal length LB between the back distal edge (88) and the back proximal edge (90) along its entire width LW of the back belt (86) in the transverse direction than the longitudinal length LF of the front belt (84) between the front distal edge (88) and the front proximal edge (90) . In such configuration, when the wearable article is assembled to form the waist opening and the leg openings, the wearable article (20) is folded along the transverse centerline T1 such that the front distal edge (88) is aligned with the back distal edge (88) . The front side edge (89) is also aligned with a portion of the back side edge (89) . Then the front belt (84) and the back belt (86) are joined at the front and back side edges (89) at the seams (32) . The front and back proximal edges (90) , however, may not be aligned to one another. The back proximal edge (90) may be disposed longitudinally closer than the front proximal edge (90) relative to the transverse center line T1 such that the proximal portion of the back side panel (82) extends toward the crotch panel (56) of the center chassis (38) beyond the front proximal edge (90) . The side edge of the proximal portion of the back side panel (82) may not be joined to anywhere and free from attachment. Thus, the proximal portion of the back side panel (82) provides a buttock cover.

The front and/or back belt (84, 86) may be treated such that certain of the area overlapping the front and/or back waist panel (52, 54) of the center chassis (38) are removed of elasticity. Removal of elasticity from a certain area of the front and/or back waist panel (52, 54) may be advantageous when the center chassis (38) comprises an absorbent material existing region (62) , in that elasticity in the front and/or back area may cause bunching of the absorbent composite or any of the layers in the absorbent material existing region (62) and interfere with close fit of the center chassis (38) to the wearer. At least a portion of, or at least 10%of, or at least 20%of, or at least 30%of, the elasticity of; at least one of, or at least half of, or at least two thirds of, the elastic bodies may be removed in the region overlapping with the front and back waist panels (52, 54) of the center chassis (38) . The entire area where the elastic bodies (96) overlap with the absorbent material existing region (62) may be removed of its elasticity. Referring to Figure 2, the elastic bodies (96) overlapping the absorbent material non-existing region (61) may be disposed in active elasticity for good fit of the center chassis. This may be advantageous in preventing leakage.

At least one elastic body (96) overlapping with the distal vicinity of the absorbent material existing region (62) may be disposed in active elasticity so that the gap appearance between the absorbent material non-existing region (61) and the absorbent material existing region (62) is alleviated.

Referring to Figure 2, the front and back belts (84, 86) are discontinuous with one another in the crotch region (30) , and therefore the outer cover layer (42) is the garment-facing surface in the crotch region (30) . The outer cover layer (42) may extend only partly in the longitudinal direction of the front waist panel (52) and/or the back waist panel (54) to leave the distal parts (40F, 40B) of the front waist panel (52) and the back waist panel (54) free of the outer cover layer (42) . Namely, the longitudinal length of the outer cover layer (42) may be longer than the longitudinal length of the crotch panel (56) and shorter than the longitudinal length of the backsheet (60) . By such configuration, the distal parts of the front waist panel (52) and the back waist panel (54) are devoid of the outer cover layer (42) , providing better breathability to the overall article. Further, this may provide cost saving of the outer cover layer (42) material. Accordingly, referring to the difference in layers of elements between the garment facing surface and the backsheet of the center chassis (38) , there exists a transitional region (34) disposed on the waist panel (52) where the outer cover layer (42) is present. The longitudinal length of the transitional region (34) may be made as short as possible, for example, less than about 20mm, or less than about 15mm, or less than about 10mm. Further, adhesive may be applied on the entire area of the transitional region (34) , or the entire area leaving no more than up to 5mm, in the longitudinal direction, from the distal edge of the transitional region (34) . For providing attractive artwork for a wearable article in an economical manner, it is common practice to provide printing on the garment facing side of the backsheet (60) . By providing the transitional region (34) as short as possible, applying adhesive to enhance transparency, or simply avoiding displaying artwork in this region, compromised appearance of the artwork over different layers of material between the artwork and the observer may be avoided.

Referring to Figure 1B, the article of the present invention comprises a first belt (85) which may be the front belt or the back belt, wherein the first belt (85) is configured to form a disposal tape (33) . While most wearable articles on the market which are equipped with a disposal tape have it disposed on the back side of the article, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such configuration. Accordingly, the second belt of the present invention, which is the other side of the first belt (85) , may be devoid of a disposal tape (33) . The waist panel of the center chassis attached to the first belt (85) is the first waist panel (55) . By releasing the refastenable means (335) and elongating the extending portion (334) , there is formed a disposal tape (33) which is fastenable to a garment facing surface of the article. The material and structure of the disposal tape (33) of the present invention is selected in order to deliver at least similar or improved function as a disposal tape made of durable plastic material, while also providing favorable tactile and aesthetic sense for the overall article.

By disposal tape, what is meant herein is a longitudinally extending element which has at least a portion near one longitudinal edge of the disposal tape permanently attached to the article, and at least a portion near the other free ending edge of the disposal tape equipped with a refastenable means. The refastenable means provides the function of keeping the disposal tape in the original position prior to use, as well as fastening itself to a garment-facing surface of the article for holding the used article in a wrapped position. Disposal tapes suitably have a sufficient longitudinal length between the permanently attached position to the refastenable means such that, when the disposal tape is extended up beyond the waist opening, the length beyond the waist opening is enough to attach the refastenable means to another portion of the article to fix the article in a wrapped position.

Referring to Figures 1B, 3A, and 3B, the first belt (85) comprises a detaching strip (330) comprising an attaching portion (332) and an extending portion (334) , wherein the attaching portion (332) is permanently attached between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55) , wherein at least a portion of the extending portion (334) is refastenably attached to the first waist panel (55) by a refastenable means (335) , and wherein the attaching portion (332) exists distal from the extending portion (334) . By providing the detaching strip (330) in such position, the disposal tape (33) may be positioned roughly in the transverse center of the article, and further, a great portion of the detaching strip (330) may be covered by the first belt (85) , thus less aesthetically disturbing. The attaching portion (332) may be permanently attached to the first belt (85) or the first waist panel (55) , or both.

Referring to Figure 3A, the extending portion (334) may comprise an elastic region (337) , wherein the elongating of the extending portion (334) comprises stretching the elastic region (337) . Such configuration may provide ease of assembling the detaching strip (330) to the first belt (85) . The disposal tape (33) may be stretched with a relatively strong force upon wrapping the article. The elastic region may be formed by elastic material having a Tensile Strength of from about 4N/20mm to about 31N/20mm, or from about 8N/20mm to about 18N/20mm, according to the measurements herein. By providing the elastic region with such Tensile Strength, the detaching strip (330) may be stretched to a length sufficient for the resulting disposal tape (33) to wrap around the wearable article, such as in Figures 3C and 3D. The elastic region may be made of material having a neckdown of less than about 90%, or less than about 50%. By providing the elastic region (337) with such neckdown property, the elastic region (337) is not overly narrowed when stretched, thus maintains robust appearance even when stretched. Examples of materials useful for the elastic region (337) include stretch material made of polyolefin and styrenic material with the tradename STD available from Nitto Denko, with the tradename DT 70.3mm Y-Bond Blue RHand from Avery, and with the tradename Gen 1 DT from 3M. The elastic material for forming the elastic region (337) may be connected to the material forming the attaching portion (332) and the material forming the refastenable means (335) by permanent attachment, however, may not completely overlap the attaching portion (332) or the refastenable means (335) to avoid interfering with the function of the attaching portion (332) and the refastenable means (335) .

In the configuration comprising an elastic region (337) such as in Figure 3A, the original extending portion (334) may have a longitudinal dimension of from about 10mm to about 100mm, and an orthogonal dimension of from about 10mm to about 30mm, or from about 13mm to about 28mm. Referring to Figures 1B and 3D, when the disposal tape (33) comprising the elastic region (337) is in an elongated state, the disposal tape (33) may have a longitudinal dimension beyond the crotch edge (CE) of from about 20mm to about 150mm. By “elongated state” herein for the configuration comprising an elastic region (337) , what is meant is a state wherein the extending portion (334) is elongated by a force of about 5N, which is more or less the force applied by the user upon use.

Referring to Figure 3B, the extending portion (334) may comprise a couple of folds (338, 339) such that the extending portion (334) is tucked between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55) , wherein the elongating of the extending portion (334) comprises unfolding the folds (338, 339) . Such configuration may allow use of inexpensive and non-elastic material such as nonwovens for making the extending portion (334) . The extending portion (334) may have a Breaking Force of at least about 3N in the longitudinal direction, according to the measurements herein. By having such Breaking Force, the extending portion (334) may be pulled by the user without being torn or significantly distorted. The extending portion (334) may be made by nonwoven materials meeting the above Breaking Force, wherein the nonwoven material may be non-stretchable and have a basis weight of at least about 30gsm. Examples of nonwoven materials suitable for the extending portion (334) include SMS or spunbond polyolefin fibers.

In the configuration comprising folds (338, 339) such as in Figure 3B, the original extending portion (334) may have a longitudinal dimension of from about 15mm to about 100mm, and an orthogonal dimension of from about 10mm to about 30mm, or from about 13mm to about 28mm. Referring to Figure 1B, when the disposal tape (33) comprising folds (338, 339) is in an elongated state, the disposal tape (33) may have a longitudinal dimension beyond the crotch edge (CE) of from about 20mm to about 150mm. By “elongated state” herein for the configuration comprising folds (338, 339) , what is meant is a state wherein the folds (338, 339) are unfolded.

As mentioned above, the extending portion (334) is refastenably attached to the first waist portion (55) by a refastenable means (335) . Thus, when the refastenable means (335) is released and the extending portion (334) elongated down towards the crotch region, there is formed a disposal tape (33) comprising the refastenable means (335) facing the body-facing side. This is in contrast with the construction of many articles with disposal tapes on the market. Current articles on the market have disposal tapes disposed in a manner such that, upon disposal, the disposal tape is first pulled up towards the waist opening and beyond, while the used article would be wrapped by folding up from the crotch region. The resulting wrapped article with the disposal tape would appear as in Figure 4A. In that current articles have the disposal tape typically disposed on the back side, and fecal exudates may also be deposited on the back side, wrapping of the disposal tape after use by pressing against the back side may risk squeezing out exudates from the waist opening. On the other hand, referring to Figure 1B, the disposal tape (33) of the present invention is configured to accommodate wrapping around the article by pulling down beyond the crotch edge (CE) , while the used article would be wrapped by folding down from the waist opening area. The resulting wrapped article with the disposal tape would appear as in Figure 4B. Thus, even when the used article is pressed during wrapping, the fecal exudate would be pushed further into the crotch region, thus providing less risk of being squeezed out. Still further, the disposal tape (33) of the present invention may have enough longitudinal length in the elongated state such that the disposal tape (33) may be utilized to wrap around the article in other directions, for example by pulling up towards the waist opening according to current practice, resulting as in Figure 4A, or pulling in the transverse direction to wrap the article transversely along the longitudinal axis (not shown) . The portion of the disposal tape (33) carrying the refastenable means (335) may be flipped in order to engage with the garment-facing surface of the wrapped around article. The disposal tape (33) of the present invention may allow the user to wrap the article, upon disposal, in a variety of ways that the user may desire.

The refastenable means (335) may be positioned beyond the proximal edge (90) of the first belt (85) extending into the crotch region. Namely, at least a portion of the garment-facing side of the detaching strip (330) carrying the refastenable means (335) may be exposed on the garment-facing surface. By such configuration, the refastenable means (335) may be easily released. At least some portion of the refastenable means (335) may be positioned between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55) . By such configuration, there is less risk of the refastenable means (335) being opened prematurely by being accessible to the wearer or by inadvertently attaching to the inner surface of garments.

The refastenable means (335) may provided such that it is removable from the first waist panel (55) with a Peeling Force of from about 0.5N to about 3N or from about 0.8 to about 2N. By having such Peeling Force, the refastenable means (335) is kept fastened during assembling and packing of the articles, as well as during the article is applied and worn, while detachable from the article without excess effort. The refastenable means (335) may have a Bending Force of less than about 0.23N, according to the measurements herein. By selecting the refastenable means (335) having a Bending Force as such, it is not overly stiff. When there is a stiff local area in the wearable article, this may be irritating to the wearer while being worn.

Whether the configuration of Figure 3A or 3B, the detaching strip (330) may further comprise a tab portion (336) at the edge of the detaching strip (330) , wherein the tab portion (336) is free of refastenable means (335) , wherein the tab portion (336) is adjacent refastenable means (335) and having a longitudinal dimension of from about 5mm to about 20mm. By providing such tab portion (336) , the edge of the detaching strip (330) may be easily pinched and lifted away from the first waist panel (55) . The tab portion (336) may be provided in color for easy identification.

The disposal tape (33) may comprise an indicia selected from the group consisting of: a mark distinguishing front and back, a mark distinguishing sex, a size indicator, and combinations thereof. For visibility, the indicia may be provided on the portion of the disposal tape (33) forming the garment-facing surface, for example, the tab portion (336) and/or the garment-facing side on which the refastenable means (335) is provided. For example, there may be provided marks indicating boy or girl, or size.

The extending portion (334) may have a range of opacity depending on the type of material the extending portion (334) is made of. Opacity herein may be obtained under ISO 6504-3 using BYK-Gardner Spectro-guide 45/0 or equivalent. Nonwovens suitable for making the extending portion (334) with folds may have a relatively low opacity. Elastic material suitable for making the elastic region (337) may have a relatively high opacity. When the extending portion (334) has an Opacity of lower than 50%, or from about 30%to about 40%, the extending portion (334) may harmonize well with material forming the first belt (85) typically also made of nonwoven substrates. When the extending portion (334) has an Opacity of at least 50%, or from about 60%to about 90%, the extending portion (334) may be recognized through the first belt (85) . The visibility of the higher opacity extending portion (334) may be enhanced when the center chassis comprises a backsheet having an artwork on the garment facing-side, wherein the artwork is extended over an area which overlaps the extending portion (334) . Such enhancement is not favorable from an aesthetic point of view. Accordingly, when the extending portion (334) has an Opacity of at least 50%, or from about 60%to about 90%, the artwork provided on the backsheet may be configured not to overlap with the extending portion (334) in the thickness direction. To compensate for the absent artwork on the backsheet which overlaps the extending portion in the thickness direction, or for any other purpose, there may be provided artwork on the garment-facing surface of the inner sheet or the skin-facing surface of the outer sheet of the first belt (85) .

The material for the outer cover layer (42) of the central chassis may be selected to provide characteristics such as breathability, softness, cushiony feel, loftiness, and combinations thereof, depending on the desirables of the resulting article. The outer cover layer (42) may be made of the same material as the outer sheet (92) to provide integral aesthetics and tactics for the article. Alternatively, the outer cover layer (42) may be made of different material as the outer sheet (92) . The outer sheet (92) may have greater stiffness than that of the outer cover layer (42) . By such configuration, the elastic belt (40) may be provided to have overall good fit, while keeping the center chassis (38) flexible and conform well to the wearer’s crotch area.

For the article of the present invention, the total number of elastic bodies (96) disposed on a single article may be limited for providing the article in an economical manner. The belt of the present invention may be disposed of a total of no more than about 60, or no more than about 54, or no more than about 46 elastic bodies. The article of the present invention may have an entire longitudinal length of the article of from about 350mm to about 600mm, an effective transverse belt width (LW) of from about 315mm to about 500mm, a back belt longitudinal length (LB) of from about 100mm to about 180mm, a front belt longitudinal length (LF) of from about 80mm to about 160mm, a center chassis longitudinal length of from about 330mm to about 500mm, and a center chassis transverse width of from about 150mm to about 210mm. The longitudinal length of the center chassis (38) may be from about 70 %to 100 %of the entire longitudinal length of the article. When the center chassis (38) comprises an absorbent material existing region (62) , the absorbent material existing region (62) may have a longitudinal length of from about 270mm to about 500mm, a maximum transverse width of from about 90mm to about 125mm. The longitudinal length of the absorbent material existing region (62) may be from about 60%to about 95%of the entire longitudinal length of the article, or from about 66%to about 97%of the center chassis (38) .

1. Preparation of Specimen

Specimen for all of the measurements hereinbelow are obtained from a finished wearable article sample. To obtain a detaching strip specimen, the detaching strip including the substrate to which it is permanently attached, is cut off from the first belt, using scissors. To obtain a refastenable means specimen, the refastenable means is cut off from the detaching strip together with the substrate to which is it permanently attached, using scissors.

Specimen are obtained from five (5) finished wearable articles from the same area of each article for each set of measurement. Specimen are pre-conditioned in a room maintained at 23 ± 2 ℃ and 50 ± 5 %relative humidity, for at least 2 hours prior to testing. All testing is performed in a room maintained at 23 ± 2 ℃ and 50 ± 5 %relative humidity.

2. Tensile Strength and Breaking Force

As equipment, MTS Criterion C42 running TestWorks 4 Software with standard tensiometer jaw or equivalent is used. Measure the transverse dimension of detaching strip specimen to nearest 1mm.

(1) The detaching strip specimen is set such that the longitudinal direction of the article matches the vertical direction of the equipment. The specimen is clamped between the upper and lower tensiometer jaws as straight as possible and at 0 -0.05N of pre-load. Make sure there are no wrinkles or fold-over. When the extending portion is non-elastic, the specimen is clamped such that the entirety of the extending portion is available for stretching. When the extending portion is elastic, the specimen is clamped such that the entirety of the elastic region is available for stretching.

(2) If the specimen slips, breaks within the clamp, or is uniformly stressed within 5mm from the clip along the width direction, then the specimen is discarded.

(3) The elongation measurement is taken from the point where the force curve leaves the zero line. A constant rate of extension of 100 mm/min is applied.

(4) Pull the specimen until break and record the force at break.

(5) Record the load at point of break for each run to the nearest 1N. The force (N) at break is the Break Force. The force at break divided by a transverse dimension adjusted to 20mm is the Tensile Strength (N/20mm) .

3. Peeling Force

As equipment, MTS Criterion C42 running TestWorks 4 Software with standard tensiometer jaw or equivalent is used. The article specimen with closed refastenable means is used.

(1) Clamp the closed article specimen in the thickness direction approximately at the attachment portion to the upper jaw, and 10mm from the edge of the extending portion to the lower jaw. Fix the gauge length to 10mm.

(2) Pull the specimen by peel tester under 460mm/min speed and acquisition rate of 20hz, until the refastenable means is completely separated.

(3) Record the peak force during peeling. The peak force (N) is the Peeling Force.

4. Bending Force

As equipment, MTS Criterion C42 with metal platform type number T489-74 running TestWorks 4 Software or equivalent is used. The upper jaw is the standard tensiometer jaw, and the lower jaw is replaced with the metal platform in the shape of a cylinder having a diameter of 150mm and height of 20mm.

(1) The refastenable means specimen is set such that the transverse direction of the specimen matches the vertical direction of the equipment. The specimen is clamped between the upper jaw as straight as possible without applying pretension.

(2) An artificial skin available under the generic name of “tattoo practice silicone sheet” having a thickness of 1.5mm is cut in appropriate size and fixed on the metal platform with double sided tape.

(3) Leave at least 1mm distance along vertical direction between specimen to the artificial skin, moving downward with 30mm/min speed until 10N as end point and record the peak load. The peak load (N) is the Bending Force.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm. ” Further, every numerical range given throughout this specification includes every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims

A wearable article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising;

a center chassis and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a first belt (85) and a second belt; the center of the first belt (85) is joined to a first waist panel (55) of the center chassis, the center of the second belt is joined to a second waist panel of the center chassis, and the remainder of the center chassis is a crotch panel, the front and back belt each having a left side panel and a right side panel where the center chassis does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the first belt (85) and the second belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings; wherein the first belt (85) and the second belt are discontinuous of each other in the longitudinal direction;

a detaching strip (330) comprising an attaching portion (332) and an extending portion (334) , wherein the attaching portion (332) is permanently attached between the first belt (85) and the first waist panel (55) , wherein at least a portion of the extending portion (334) is refastenably attached to the first waist panel (55) by a refastenable means (335) , and wherein the attaching portion (332) is disposed distal from the extending portion (334) ;

wherein by releasing the refastenable means (335) and elongating the extending portion (334) , there is formed a disposal tape (33) comprising the refastenable means (335) facing the body-facing side, the refastenable means (335) being fastenable to a garment facing surface of the article.
The article of Claim 1 wherein the extending portion (334) comprises an elastic region (337) formed by elastic material having a Tensile Strength of from about 4N/20mm to about 31N/20mm, according to the measurements herein, wherein the elongating comprises stretching the elastic region.
The article of Claim 2 wherein the elastic region (337) has a neckdown of no more than about 90%.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein the extending portion (334) comprises a couple of folds (338, 339) , wherein the elongating comprises unfolding the folds (338, 339) , wherein the extending portion has a Breaking Force of at least about 3N according to the measurements herein.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein when the disposal tape (33) is in an elongated state, the disposal tape (33) has a longitudinal dimension beyond the crotch edge (CE) of from about 20mm to about 150mm.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein the extending portion (334) has an Opacity of lower than 50%according to the measurements herein.
The article of any of Claims 1-5 wherein the extending portion (334) has an Opacity of at least 50%according to the measurements herein.
The article of Claim 7 wherein the center chassis comprises a backsheet having an artwork on the garment-facing side, wherein the artwork provided on the backsheet does not overlap with the extending portion (334) in the thickness direction.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein the refastenable means (335) provides a Peeling Force of from about 0.5N to about 3N and a Bending Force of less than about 0.23N, according to the measurements herein.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein at least a portion of the refastenable means (335) is positioned beyond the proximal edge (90) of the first belt (85) extending into the crotch region.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein the detaching strip (330) comprises a tab portion (336) at the edge of the detaching strip (330) , wherein the tab portion (336) is free of refastenable means (335) , wherein the tab portion (336) is adjacent refastenable means (335) and having a longitudinal dimension of from about 5mm to about 20mm.
The article of Claim 10 or 11 wherein the portion of the detaching strip (330) forming the garment-facing surface comprises an indicia selected from the group consisting of: a mark distinguishing front and back, a mark distinguishing sex, a size indicator, and combinations thereof.
The article of any of the preceding claims wherein the first belt (85) is formed by a laminate comprising a plurality of elastic bodies running in the transverse direction, an inner sheet, and an outer sheet, wherein an artwork is provided on the garment-facing surface of the inner sheet or the body-facing surface of the outer sheet.