WO2024079823A1

WO2024079823A1 - Wearable article housing body and wearable article

Info

Publication number: WO2024079823A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/038094
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健人梨子木; 洋介新保; 俊介瀧野; 沙也佳櫻井
Original assignee: ユニ・チャーム株式会社
Priority date: 2022-10-12
Filing date: 2022-10-12
Publication date: 2024-04-18
Also published as: WO2024080058A1

Abstract

A wearable article housing body (90) comprises: a stretchable wearable article (1) to be used in combination with an absorbent pad (100); and a housing member (70) for housing the wearable article (1). The wearable article (1) is reusable. The housing member (70) is provided with a label (74) that is suggestive of using the wearable article (1) in combination with the absorbent pad (100). The wearable article (1) has a pair of leg holes (LH). Top ends (LHt) of the leg holes are located on the upper side of bottom ends (LHb) of the wearable article (1) in the vertical direction. The wearable article has engagement regions (30) that engage with the absorbent pad (100). The entirety of the engagement regions (30) is disposed on the upper side of the center position (CL) of the wearable article (1) in the vertical direction.

Description

Wearing article container and wearing article

The present invention relates to a wearable item container and a wearable item.

　Conventionally, there are known pants-type wearable articles with elasticity, in which an absorbent pad for absorbing urine and other excrement is attached to the crotch area. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wearable article (holder pants) in the shape of so-called boxer shorts, which is worn in combination with a pad-type absorbent article.

JP 2015-128587 A

In recent years, when using such wearable articles, rather than assuming that excretion will occur into the absorbent pad, it is sometimes recommended that excretion take place in a toilet to promote independent excretion, and the wearer may pull down the wearable article in the toilet to excrete, and then put it back on after excretion. However, with conventional wearable articles, the leg openings tend to get caught on the wearer's legs when grasping the waistband and pulling it down, causing the waistband to turn inside out and roll up, resulting in the absorbent pad becoming misaligned or detaching from the wearable article and falling to the floor, making it impossible to reuse.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a wearable article that is difficult to roll up and the absorbent pad is difficult to come off when pulled down together with the absorbent pad.

The main invention for achieving the above object is a wearing article container comprising a wearing article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction which intersect with each other, and which is stretchable in the vertical and horizontal directions, and which is to be used in conjunction with an absorbent pad, and a container member for containing the wearing article, wherein the wearing article is reusable, the container member is provided with markings which evoke the wearing article to be used in conjunction with the absorbent pad, the wearing article has a pair of leg openings, upper ends of the leg openings are located above a lower end at a center in the horizontal direction of the wearing article in the vertical direction, the leg openings have an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad, and the entire engagement region is located above a center position of the wearing article in the vertical direction.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a wearable article that is difficult to roll up and the absorbent pad is difficult to come off when pulled down together with the absorbent pad.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a worn article 1. FIG. Fig. 2A is a plan view of the worn article 1 in a natural state as viewed from the front side in the front-rear direction. Fig. 2B is a plan view of the worn article 1 in a natural state as viewed from the rear side in the front-rear direction. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing the worn article 1. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of an absorbent pad 100. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional wearing article 200 (comparative example). 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating the action of taking off the wearing article 200 when the wearing article 200 and the absorbent pad 300 are used in combination. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating the action of taking off the wearing article 1 when the wearing article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 are used in combination. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a method for measuring a torque value in the crotch region CR of the worn article 1. 4 is a table showing conditions for measuring torque values. 13 is data showing the measurement results of torque values. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for measuring bending resistance in a waist region BR of the wearing article 1. FIG. 1 is a table showing the results of measurement of bending resistance of the waist region BR by a cantilever test. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a wearing article container 90.

The following points become clear at least from the description in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

(Aspect 1)
a wearing article container comprising a wearing article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction intersecting each other, the wearing article having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions, the wearing article being used in combination with an absorbent pad, and a container member for containing the wearing article, wherein the wearing article is reusable, the container member is provided with markings evocative of the wearing article being used in combination with the absorbent pad, the wearing article has a pair of leg openings, upper ends of the leg openings are located above a lower end at a center in the horizontal direction of the wearing article in the vertical direction, the leg openings have an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad, and the entire engagement region is located above a center position of the wearing article in the vertical direction.

According to the wearable article container of aspect 1, when the wearable article contained in the container is worn and then undressed, the leg openings are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs, and the further down the container is pulled down, the greater the difference in diameter between the wearer's legs and the leg openings becomes, making it easier to pull down smoothly. Furthermore, since the entire engagement area is positioned above the vertical center and the absorbent pad is engaged via the engagement area, the rigidity of the absorbent pad is more likely to act on the upper half of the wearable article (the waist area), preventing the waist area from rolling up. This makes it possible to realize a wearable article and container thereof in which the waist area is less likely to roll up and the absorbent pad is less likely to come off when pulled down together with the absorbent pad during undressing.

(Aspect 2)
A wearing article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction which intersect with each other, made of a knitted or woven fabric, having a pair of leg openings, and to be used in combination with an absorbent pad, wherein in the vertical direction, upper ends of the leg openings are located higher than lower ends of the leg openings at a center in the horizontal direction of the wearing article, the leg openings have engagement regions for engaging with the absorbent pad, and the entire engagement region is located higher than a center position of the wearing article in the vertical direction.

In the wearable article of aspect 2, the leg openings are formed at an angle, so that they are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs when undressing, and the further down the wearable article is pulled down, the greater the difference in diameter between the wearer's legs and the leg openings, making it easier to pull down smoothly. Furthermore, since the entire engagement area is positioned above the vertical center and the absorbent pad is engaged via this engagement area, the rigidity of the absorbent pad is more likely to act on the upper half of the wearable article (the waist area), preventing the waist area from rolling up. This makes it possible to realize a wearable article in which the waist area is less likely to roll up and the absorbent pad is less likely to come off when pulled down together with the absorbent pad during undressing.

(Aspect 3)
The wearing article according to aspect 2, further comprising: a crotch region located between upper ends of the leg openings and a lower end of the wearing article in the vertical direction and between inner ends of the pair of leg openings in the left-right direction; and a waist region located between the upper ends of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article, wherein in a natural state, the vertical length of the crotch region is longer than the vertical length of the waist region.

In the wearing article of aspect 3, the distance between the waist opening and the leg openings is shorter than in the opposite case, so the force pulling the waist region downward is more easily transmitted from the waist opening to the leg openings. This makes it easier to release the tension acting along the periphery of the leg openings from the wearer's legs. This makes it easier to pull down the wearing article and prevents the waist region from rolling up.

(Aspect 4)
A wearing article according to

aspect

2 or 3, wherein the bending resistance of the crotch region is 8.5 mNm or less.

In the wearable article of aspect 4, the crotch area is configured to be more flexible than when the stiffness (torque value) of the crotch area is higher than 8.5 mNM, so that the crotch area is less likely to be pulled tight between the wearer's legs and is more likely to deform when undressing. Therefore, the leg openings can also deform in response to the deformation of the crotch area, and are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs. This makes it easier to pull down the wearable article smoothly and prevents the waist area from rolling up.

(Aspect 5)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 4, wherein the crotch region is not provided with a waterproof material separate from the fabric constituting the main body of the wearing article.

In the wearable article of aspect 5, since no separate waterproof material is provided in the crotch area, the flexibility of the crotch area is easily maintained, and the leg openings on both sides of the crotch area are prevented from getting caught on the wearer's legs during undressing. This makes it easier to pull down the wearable article, and prevents the waist area from rolling up.

(Aspect 6)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 5, further comprising a waist opening, and a force required to stretch the leg openings by a unit length along peripheral edges of the leg openings is smaller than a force required to stretch the leg openings by a unit length along peripheral edges of the waist openings.

In the wearable article of aspect 6, the tension along the periphery of the leg openings is weaker than when the stretching force of the leg openings is equal to or greater than the stretching force of the waist opening, so the leg openings are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs when undressing. This makes it easier to pull down the wearable article and prevents the waist area from rolling up.

(Aspect 7)
A wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 6, comprising a low-elasticity waist region in which the magnitude of force required to stretch the low-elasticity waist region by a unit length along the peripheral edge of the waist opening is greater than the magnitude of force required to stretch other regions by the unit length, and the engagement region is disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance below a lower end of the low-elasticity waist region in the vertical direction.

In the wearable article of aspect 7, when the waist opening (low-stretch waist area) is opened and pulled down during undressing, the engagement area does not overlap with the waist fold-back portion, so that the elasticity of the low-stretch waist area is less likely to affect the engagement area, making it easier to prevent the absorbent pad from coming off the engagement area.

(Aspect 8)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 7, wherein the wearing article is made of the knitted fabric, and the leg openings are formed by cutting the knitted fabric obliquely with respect to a direction in which the knitted fabric is most likely to stretch.

In the wearable article of aspect 8, by cutting the knitted fabric diagonally, the number of places where the connections between the loops in the knitted fabric are cut increases, and the constraint between adjacent loops is weakened, improving the stretchability at the cut points. This reduces the tension along the periphery of the leg openings, making it easier to prevent the leg openings from getting caught on the wearer's legs when undressing.

(Aspect 9)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 8, further comprising a waist region located between upper ends of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article, and a center position of the engagement region is located lower than a center position of the waist region in the vertical direction.

In the wearing article of aspect 9, the center position (CL30) of the engagement area is located lower than the center position (CLBR) of the waist area, which makes it easier to prevent the engagement area from being grabbed by hand or to prevent the engagement between the wearing article and the absorbent pad from being disengaged due to the force applied when pulling down. This makes it easier to prevent the absorbent pad from coming off the wearing article during the act of undressing.

(Aspect 10)
A wearing article according to aspect 9, wherein a center position of the engagement region is located above a center position between a center position of the waist region and a lower end of the waist region in the up-down direction.

In the wearing article of aspect 10, when the absorbent pad is engaged, the area in the waist region where the rigidity of the absorbent pad acts is larger than in the opposite case, making it easier to prevent the waist region from rolling up during the act of undressing.

(Aspect 11)
A wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 10, further comprising a serged portion along a periphery of each of the pair of leg openings.

In the wearing article of aspect 11, the leg openings are provided with overlocked seams, which increases the rigidity of the leg openings. In addition, both sides of the crotch area are supported by the highly rigid leg openings, which helps prevent the crotch area from bending or rolling up in the vertical direction during undressing.

(Aspect 12)
A wearing article as described in any one of aspects 2 to 11, comprising a crotch region located between upper ends of the leg openings and a lower end of the wearing article in the vertical direction and between inner ends of a pair of the leg openings in the left-right direction, a crotch seam having a predetermined length in the left-right direction is provided in the crotch region, and the wearing article has a portion where the crotch seam and the overlock seam intersect.

In the wearing article of aspect 12, the crotch seam and the overlock seam function like a skeleton in the crotch area, so that the absorbent pad can be stably held in place. This makes it easier to maintain the integrity of the absorbent pad and the crotch area during undressing, and makes it easier to prevent the crotch area from rolling up due to the rigidity of the absorbent pad. It also makes it possible to prevent the crotch area from stretching due to the weight of the absorbent pad during undressing.

(Aspect 13)
A wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 12, wherein a length in the left-right direction of the crotch region in a natural state is 25% or more and 50% or less of a length in the left-right direction of the wearing article in a natural state.

The wearable article of aspect 13 allows the leg openings to be wider than the diameter of the wearer's legs when undressing, making it easier to prevent the leg openings from getting caught on the wearer's legs.

(Aspect 14)
A wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 13, further comprising, in the crotch region, stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.

In the wearable article of aspect 14, the portion of the crotch area where the stretch suppression means is provided has a higher rigidity than other portions, so that the crotch area is less likely to roll up during undressing, and the absorbent pad is held stably and less likely to come off.

(Aspect 15)
A wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 14, wherein the stretch suppressing means extends above an upper end of the crotch region in the vertical direction.

In the wearable article of aspect 15, the stretch suppression means increases the rigidity of the area extending from the crotch area to the waist area above it in the vertical direction, making the area less likely to bend in the vertical direction. This makes it easier to suppress rolling up of at least a portion of the crotch area and waist area during undressing.

(Aspect 16)
Aspect 16. The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 15, wherein the stretch suppressing means and the engagement region have an overlapping portion in the vertical direction.

In the wearing article of aspect 16, the engagement region, which is an area whose rigidity is increased by being integrated with the absorbent pad, further overlaps with the stretch suppression means, thereby further increasing the rigidity of the engagement region. This makes it difficult for the portion of the waist region in which the engagement region is provided to bend in the vertical direction, making it easier to suppress the waist region from rolling up during the act of undressing.

====Embodiment===
As an example of a wearing article according to an embodiment of the present invention, a pants-type wearing article 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "wearing article 1") that can be used by attaching an absorbent pad 100 therein for absorbing excrement such as urine will be described.

<Basic configuration of worn article 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a worn article 1 according to the present embodiment. In the pants-type state shown in FIG. 1, the worn article 1 has a "vertical direction", a "lateral direction", and a "front-rear direction" that are mutually orthogonal. In the vertical direction, the side that is the wearer's torso side when the wearer wears the worn article 1 is referred to as the "upper side", and the side that is the wearer's crotch side is referred to as the "lower side". In the front-rear direction, the side that is the wearer's abdominal side when the worn article 1 is worn is referred to as the "front side", and the side that is the wearer's back side is referred to as the "rear side". In addition, each material (sheet member) constituting the worn article 1 has a "thickness direction". In the thickness direction, the side that is close to the wearer's skin when the wearer wears the worn article 1 is referred to as the "skin side", and the opposite side is referred to as the "non-skin side".

The wearing article 1 of this embodiment is formed in a pants-type with a waist opening BH provided on the upper side in the vertical direction and a pair of leg openings LH, LH provided on the lower side in the vertical direction and on both sides in the left-right direction. An absorbent pad 100 can be attached detachably to the inside of the pants-type, and the wearing article 1 itself can be used (worn) repeatedly by replacing the absorbent pad 100. For example, if a user (user) excretes urine or the like while wearing the wearing article 1 to which the absorbent pad 100 is attached, the absorbent pad 100 that has absorbed the excrement can be removed from the wearing article 1 and replaced with a new absorbent pad 100, making it possible to reuse the wearing article 1. In addition, the wearing article 1 can be washed, and can be used hygienically for a long period of time (for example, two weeks or more).

Figure 2A is a plan view of the worn article 1 in its natural state as viewed from the front side in the front-to-rear direction. Figure 2B is a plan view of the worn article 1 in its natural state as viewed from the rear side in the front-to-rear direction. Here, the "natural state" refers to the state of the worn article 1 when it is left for a predetermined period of time. For example, after the folded and stored worn article 1 is removed from the package, it is gently unfolded so as not to cause distortion and placed on a flat surface such as a desk. The natural state is the state in which the worn article 1 is left lying flat in this manner for 5 minutes, until almost no wrinkles remain on the surface of the worn article 1.

The worn article 1 has a main body portion 10 , an expansion suppressing portion 20 , and an engagement region 30 .
The main body 10 is a part that constitutes the exterior of the worn article 1, and is formed of a sheet member having elasticity. In this embodiment, the sheet member that constitutes the main body 10 is made of a "woven fabric" or a "knitted fabric", and has elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions. The "woven fabric" is a fabric that is formed in a plane by intersecting a weft thread at a right angle with a large number of parallel warp threads, and an example of such a fabric is a fabric called "woven cloth". In the woven fabric, a highly elastic woven fabric can be formed by using highly elastic threads or changing the density of the threads. On the other hand, the "knitted fabric" is a fabric that is formed in a plane by looping threads and connecting other loops to the loops, and an example of such a fabric is a fabric called "knit". Since the knitted fabric is formed by connecting a large number of loops, it can be greatly stretched even with a small force by deforming each loop. In the following, the main body 10 (worn article 1) is described as being formed using a knitted fabric.

The main body 10 is made of a so-called circular knit fabric that is woven into a cylindrical shape in the vertical direction. The upper end of the cylindrical main body 10 is partially folded from the top to the bottom in the vertical direction to form a waist fold 11. This waist fold 11 prevents fraying of the thread at the upper end of the circular knit fabric (i.e., the waist opening BH). Furthermore, a thread that is less likely to stretch than other parts is woven into the waist fold 11. This increases the contraction force along the periphery of the waist opening BH, and when the wearable article 1 is worn, the waist opening BH is prevented from slipping down, improving the fit. Instead of folding back the upper end of the circular knit fabric, a separate sheet member may be layered and joined to the upper end to apply a large contraction force along the periphery of the waist opening BH.

On the other hand, at the bottom end of the main body 10, a crotch seam 12 is formed where the front and back sides of the circular knit fabric are sewn together. The bottom end of the main body 10 is joined by the crotch seam 12, so that the tubular circular knit fabric is formed into a pants-like shape with a pair of leg openings LH, LH (see FIG. 3 described below). In this embodiment, the crotch seam 12 is located at the bottommost position in the vertical direction of the worn article 1 (see FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B).

The pair of leg openings LH, LH are formed by cutting a part of the main body 10 (see FIG. 3). A leg overlock portion 13 is formed on the periphery of each leg opening LH, LH. The leg overlock portion 13 is formed by sewing the edge of the knitted fabric around the periphery of the leg opening LH in a way that wraps the thread around it, thereby preventing fraying of the thread at the cut point of the leg opening LH. Furthermore, the formation of the leg overlock portion 13 increases the contraction force along the periphery of the leg opening LH, improving the fit of the leg opening LH when worn and making it easier to prevent lateral leakage of urine and other excrement.

As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, in the vertical direction of the worn article 1 in its natural state, the upper end of the leg opening LH is designated as LHt. The upper end LHt is located slightly inside the outermost end in the left-right direction. Similarly, in the vertical direction of the worn article 1 in its natural state, the lower end of the leg opening LH is designated as LHb. The lower end LHb is located at the lowest side in the vertical direction of the worn article 1 and at the innermost side in the left-right direction of the leg opening LH.

The crotch region CR is defined as the shaded area in the worn article 1 between the upper end LHt and the lower end LHb of the leg opening LH (i.e., the lower end of the worn article 1) in the vertical direction and between the lower ends LHb, LHb of the pair of leg openings LH in the left-right direction (i.e., between the inner ends of the leg openings LH). The crotch region CR is a region that is mainly located in the crotch area of the wearer (user) when the worn article 1 is worn, and is also a region that holds at least a part of the absorbent pad 100 when the absorbent pad 100 is attached. The waist region BR is defined as the area in the worn article 1 between the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH and the upper end of the worn article 1 in the vertical direction. The waist region BR is a region that is mainly located in the waist area (abdomen and buttocks to waist) of the wearer (user) when the worn article 1 is worn.

The stretch suppressing portion 20 is a portion that functions as a stretch suppressing means for suppressing stretching in the up-down direction of the worn article 1. In this embodiment, a plurality of stretch suppressing portions 20 having a predetermined length in the up-down direction are provided at predetermined positions of the main body portion 10 of the worn article 1. Specifically, at the front side of the front-to-back direction of the worn article 1 (main body portion 10), a front central stretch suppressing portion 21 is provided in the center in the left-right direction, and a pair of front side stretch suppressing portions 23, 23 (corresponding to both side stretch suppressing means) are provided on both left-right sides of the front central stretch suppressing portion 21 (see FIG. 2A). Similarly, at the rear side of the front-to-back direction of the worn article 1 (main body portion 10), a rear central stretch suppressing portion 22 is provided in the center in the left-right direction, and a pair of rear side stretch suppressing portions 24, 24 (both side stretch suppressing means) are provided on both left-right sides of the rear central stretch suppressing portion 22 (see FIG. 2B).

When the wearer (user) puts on the wearable article 1, the wearer puts his/her legs through a pair of leg openings LH, and then grasps the waist region BR and pulls it up to the crotch area. As described above, the main body 10 is made of a stretchable knitted (or woven) fabric. Therefore, if the main body 10 stretches excessively in the vertical direction when pulling up the wearable article 1, it may become difficult to pull up the wearable article 1. In contrast, in the wearable article 1 of this embodiment, the vertical stretch (stretch) of the main body 10 is suppressed in the area where the stretch suppressing section 20 is provided, making it easier to pull up the wearable article 1.

The stretch suppressing section 20 (stretch suppressing means) is realized by processing the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 to reduce the stretchability of the knitted fabric in the vertical direction. For example, the stretchability in the vertical direction can be reduced by sewing low-stretch thread (so-called "stitching") into a specified area of the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10. In addition, when knitting the knitted fabric, the knitting pattern or the stretchability of the thread may be changed in a specified area to reduce the stretchability in a part of the knitted fabric. In addition, the stretchability of the knitted fabric may be reduced by welding or crimping a member such as silicone or rubber, or by compressing a specified area of the knitted fabric (embossing, etc.).

The engagement region 30 is an area for removably attaching the absorbent pad 100 to the wearable article 1, and is provided on the skin side in the thickness direction of the main body 10. In this embodiment, a rectangular front engagement region 31 is provided on the skin side of the waist region BR at the front side in the front-to-rear direction (see FIG. 2A), and a rectangular rear engagement region 32 is provided on the skin side of the waist region BR at the rear side in the front-to-rear direction.

The absorbent pad 100 can be attached and held on the inside (skin side) of the wearing article 1 by engaging the engagement area 30 provided on the wearing article 1 with the absorbent pad engagement area 120 (see FIG. 4 described later) provided on the absorbent pad 100. The engagement area 30 also functions as a reference (i.e., a marker) when the user attaches the absorbent pad 100 to the wearing article 1, and by visually checking the engagement area 30, the absorbent pad 100 can be attached to the correct position on the wearing article 1.

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the engagement region 30 is provided with a separate sheet member different from the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10. For example, a known hook-and-loop fastener having a plurality of engaging protrusions (male material, hooks) or engaged protrusions (female material, loops) on the surface of a base sheet can be used as the separate sheet member. In order to improve visibility, it is more preferable that the color of the hook-and-loop fastener is different from the color of the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10. However, it is not necessary to provide a separate sheet member as the engagement region 30, and it is sufficient that an area is formed on the skin side of the worn article 1 where the absorbent pad engagement region 120 can be detachably engaged. For example, if the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 itself is detachably engageable with the absorbent pad engagement region 120, the engagement region 30 may be formed by printing a predetermined area on the skin side of the main body 10 with ink of a different color from that of the main body 10.

Here, an outline of the manufacturing method of the worn article 1 will be described. Figures 3A to 3C are diagrams explaining the manufacturing method of the worn article 1. In Figure 3, a case where the worn article 1 is formed from the above-mentioned "knitted fabric" is explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a tubular knitted fabric 10A (so-called "circular knit") is formed by knitting yarn in a circular shape. At this time, stretch-suppressing sections 20 (21-24) are also formed along the central axis of the cylindrically knitted fabric 10A (corresponding to the up-and-down direction in FIG. 1). As described above, the stretch-suppressing sections 20 are formed by processing such as changing the knitting pattern or sewing in a different yarn. Note that the stretch-suppressing sections 20 may be formed in a process different from the process of forming the circular knitted fabric 10A (FIG. 3A). For example, after the circular knitted fabric 10A is formed, a separate process may be performed to form the stretch-suppressing sections 20 (stretch-suppressing means).

Then, the circular knit fabric 10A is cut at predetermined positions in the vertical direction (axial direction) to cut out the main body portion 10 constituting each individual wearing article 1, as shown in FIG. 3B. Here, the circular knit fabric 10A is cut at positions C1 and C2 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3A). Cut position C1 is the top side of the main body portion 10 in the vertical direction, and cut position C2 is the bottom side of the main body portion 10 in the vertical direction. In addition, the portion that will become the leg openings LH is cut from the main body portion 10. In FIG. 3B, both left and right sides at the bottom end of the tubular main body portion 10 are cut diagonally to form a pair of leg openings LH, LH.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the upper end of the tubular main body 10 in the vertical direction is folded back to form the waist fold 11. At the lower end of the tubular main body 10 in the vertical direction, the front lower edge 12f and the rear lower edge 12b are sewn together to form the crotch seam 12. This forms the tubular main body 10 into a pants-like shape. Then, overlock stitches are performed along the periphery of the cut leg openings LH to form the leg overlock stitches 13. Finally, a separate sheet member (e.g., a hook-and-loop fastener) is attached to the inside (skin side) of the main body 10 to form the engagement region 30 (31, 32). This forms the worn article 1 described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The order in which the processes described in FIG. 3C are performed may be changed.

<Stretchability of the worn article 1>
The worn article 1 has been described as having stretchability in the up-down and left-right directions, but more specifically, when a sample piece is cut out from the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 and a tensile test is performed, the worn article 1 is deemed to have stretchability if it satisfies the following conditions: That is, when a sample piece of 50 mm x 200 mm is pulled with a force of 5 N in both the up-down and left-right directions, the maximum elongation of the sample piece is 200% or more.

The tensile test can be carried out, for example, as follows. First, a rectangular sample piece having a length of 220 mm in the vertical direction and 50 mm in the horizontal direction is cut out from the main body 10 of the worn article 1. In addition, 10 mm at both ends of the 220 mm in the vertical direction of the sample piece are gripping margins for the chucks of the tensile tester. In addition, when cutting out the sample piece, it is desirable not to include the stretch suppressing part 20 and the engagement region 30. Next, 10 mm at each end in the vertical direction of the cut out sample piece is clamped by the chucks of a known tensile tester (for example, a universal material testing machine manufactured by Instron). At this time, the distance between the chucks of the tensile tester is set to G ₀ =200 mm. From this state, the sample piece is pulled and stretched in the direction of increasing the distance between the chucks at a pulling speed of about 200 mm/min, and the distance between the chucks G ₁ (mm) is measured when the tensile force (magnitude of force) in the tensile test becomes 5 N. The length of the sample piece after pulling relative to the length before pulling (= _G1 / _G0 ) is calculated and recorded as the elongation percentage. This test is repeated multiple times to determine the maximum elongation percentage ( _G1 / _G0 ). If the maximum elongation percentage ( _G1 / _G0 ) is 200% or more, the fabric constituting the worn article 1 (main body 10) is deemed to have elasticity in the up-down direction. The size of the zipper gripping margin can be changed as appropriate.

Similarly, a rectangular sample piece measuring 220 mm in the left-right direction and 50 mm in the up-down direction is cut out from the main body 10 of the worn article 1, and a tensile test in the left-right direction is performed according to the above procedure. If the elongation is 200% or more, the fabric constituting the worn article 1 (main body 10) is deemed to have stretchability in the left-right direction. Note that when cutting out a sample piece that is long in the left-right direction from the worn article 1, the stretch suppressing section 20 may be included. This is because the stretch suppressing section 20 mainly has the function of reducing stretchability in the up-down direction and does not have a significant effect on the measurement of stretchability in the left-right direction.

<Basic configuration of absorbent pad 100>
4 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the absorbent pad 100. The absorbent pad 100 is generally rectangular in plan view, and has a vertical direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction that are perpendicular to each other. The vertical direction is a direction along the up-down direction (and front-rear direction) of the wearing article 1 when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1, and the horizontal direction is a direction along the left-right direction of the wearing article 1 when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1. The front side in the vertical direction is a side that is located on the wearer's abdomen side (the front side in the front-rear direction of the wearing article 1) when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1, and the rear side in the vertical direction is a side that is located on the wearer's back side (the rear side in the front-rear direction of the wearing article 1) when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1.

The absorbent pad 100 has an absorbent body 110, a top sheet 111 arranged on the skin side of the absorbent body 110, a back sheet 112 arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 110, and a pair of

side sheets

115, 115 provided on both sides in the left-right direction on the skin side of the top sheet 111. It also has an absorbent pad engagement region 120 for engaging with the engagement region 30 of the wearing article 1.

The absorbent 110 has a polymeric absorbent (super absorbent polymer, also called "SAP") and liquid-absorbent fibers such as pulp fibers, and in this embodiment is formed in a roughly hourglass shape with the vertical center recessed inward in the left-right direction as shown by the dashed line in Figure 4. The liquid-absorbent fibers containing SAP may be covered with a liquid-permeable core wrap sheet (not shown). In addition, the configuration of the absorbent 110 is not limited to the above, and examples include an SAP sheet in which an SAP layer is attached to a hydrophilic sheet, and an airlaid sheet in which liquid-absorbent fibers are formed into a sheet shape by an airlaid method.

The top sheet 111 is a liquid-permeable sheet member disposed on the skin side of the absorbent 110, and is a member that comes into direct contact with the wearer's skin and excretory opening when the absorbent pad 100 is in use. For this reason, it is desirable for the top sheet 111 to be a sheet member that is as flexible as possible and soft against the skin. Examples of sheet members that constitute the top sheet 111 in this embodiment include air-through nonwoven fabrics. In addition, a second sheet (not shown in FIG. 4) that is substantially liquid-permeable in the same manner as the top sheet 111 may be provided between the absorbent 110 and the top sheet 111 in the thickness direction.

The back sheet 112 is a liquid-impermeable and breathable sheet member that is arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 110 in the thickness direction of the absorbent pad 100. The provision of this back sheet 112 prevents excreted liquid such as urine absorbed by the absorbent pad 100 from penetrating to the non-skin side in the thickness direction. Therefore, when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the skin side of the wearing article 1 for use, excreted liquid such as urine absorbed by the absorbent pad 100 can be prevented from penetrating into the non-skin side of the wearing article 1. Examples of sheet members that constitute the back sheet 112 in this embodiment include resin films such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

The side sheets 115 are members that make up both lateral sides of the skin-facing side of the absorbent pad 100. When the absorbent pad 100 is in use, the side sheets 115 are also likely to come into direct contact with the wearer's skin, so it is desirable for the side sheets 115 to be as flexible as possible, similar to the top sheet 111. Examples of sheet members that make up the side sheets 115 of this embodiment include air-through nonwoven fabrics.

In addition, absorbent pad elastic members 116 such as rubber thread are provided on the inner lateral ends of the pair of

side sheets

115, 115 in a state of being stretched along the vertical direction. The inner lateral ends of the side sheets 115 are folded back outward in the horizontal direction as shown in the A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, and the absorbent pad elastic members 116 are attached so as to be sandwiched between the folded back portions. When the absorbent pad 100 is in use, the inner lateral ends of the pair of

side sheets

115, 115 rise up against the skin in the thickness direction based on the elasticity exhibited by the absorbent pad elastic members 116, and function as a leak prevention wall (three-dimensional gathers), thereby suppressing lateral leakage of urine, etc.

The absorbent pad engagement region 120 is provided on the non-skin side of the back sheet 112 and is a portion that releasably engages with the engagement region 30 of the worn article 1, and has a front absorbent pad engagement region 121 located at the front end in the vertical direction, and a rear absorbent pad engagement region 122 located at the rear end in the vertical direction. The absorbent pad engagement region 120 is provided with a sheet member such as a hook-and-loop fastener that corresponds to the engagement region 30 of the worn article 1. For the same reason as the engagement region 30 described above, the absorbent pad engagement region 120 is preferably formed in a color different from the color of the back sheet 112 so that the user can easily see the engagement position.

When the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearable article 1 for use, the absorbent pad 100 is folded in half at its longitudinal center position CL so that the skin side of the absorbent pad 100 faces inward. The folded absorbent pad 100 is then inserted from above the waist opening BH of the wearable article 1, and adjusted so that the longitudinal center position CL of the absorbent pad 100 is positioned at the lowest end of the wearable article 1 (overlapping with the crotch seam 12). In this state, the front absorbent pad engagement region 121 is engaged with the front engagement region 31 of the wearable article 1, and the rear absorbent pad engagement region 122 is engaged with the rear engagement region 32 of the wearable article 1. The position of the absorbent pad engagement region 120 in the longitudinal direction (up and down direction) is previously adjusted so that it overlaps with the engagement region 30 of the wearable article 1 when the absorbent pad 100 is inserted inside the wearable article 1, so that the engagement regions 30 and 120 can be easily engaged with each other. In this way, the absorbent pad 100 can be correctly attached to the wearable article 1.

<About the action of taking off the worn article 1>
Although it has been described that the wearing article 1 is used in combination with the absorbent pad 100, the manner of use is not limited to excretion into the absorbent pad 100 every time. For example, when the wearer is able to excrete in a toilet, the wearing article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 may be put on and taken off in the toilet. That is, after the wearer takes off the wearing article 1 in the toilet and excretes, the wearing article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 may be put on again. The action of taking off the wearing article 1 (removing it from the body) (hereinafter also referred to as "undressing action") will be specifically described below.

First, as a comparative example, the action of undressing a conventional wearing article 200 will be described. Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of a conventional wearing article 200 (comparative example). Figs. 6A to 6C are diagrams explaining the action of undressing the wearing article 200 when the wearing article 200 and an absorbent pad 300 are used together.

The comparative wearing article 200 shown in FIG. 5 is a pants-type wearing article that has a waist opening BH and a pair of leg openings LH, LH, has a certain degree of stretchability, and can be used in conjunction with an absorbent pad 300 by attaching it thereto. However, unlike the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, the wearing article 200 is a so-called "boxer shorts" type in which the leg openings LH, LH protrude below the crotch portion. The wearing article 200 does not have a structure equivalent to the stretch suppressing portion 20 or the engagement region 30 of the wearing article 1. The absorbent pad 300 has a structure substantially similar to that of the absorbent pad 100 described in FIG. 4, but does not have a region equivalent to the absorbent pad engagement region 120.

Fig. 6A shows the comparative example wearing article 200 in a normal state. That is, Fig. 6A shows the state in which the absorbent pad 300 fits in a normal position on the wearer's body (i.e., the groin area) by wearing the stretchable wearing article 200. When removing the wearing article 200, the upper end of the wearing article 200 (i.e., near the waist opening BH) is grasped with both hands and pulled downward.

Because the worn article 200 is a boxer shorts type as described in FIG. 5, friction acts between the leg openings LH and the wearer's legs, and the leg openings LH (hem) tend to get caught on the wearer's legs. Therefore, even if one tries to grab the upper end of the worn article 200 and pull it down, the position of the leg openings LH is difficult to lower, and only the upper end of the worn article 200 (near the waist opening BH) is pulled down. As a result, the upper end of the worn article 200 is turned inside out, as shown in FIG. 6B.

When attempting to pull down the wearing article 200 further, as shown in FIG. 6C, the upper end of the wearing article 200 is rolled up even more, and the wearer must pull down the waist opening BH and release the leg opening LH (hem) that is caught on the leg, making the undressing action difficult. The wearer must use both hands to pull down the wearing article 200, and is unable to hold down the absorbent pad 300 sufficiently, which may cause the absorbent pad 300 to shift position or to fall off and onto the floor. If the absorbent pad 300 falls onto the floor of a toilet or the like, it is difficult to put it back on from a hygienic standpoint. In addition, if excrement is attached to the absorbent pad 300, the excrement may adhere to the toilet floor or the wearer's clothes. In this way, the wearing article 200 of the comparative example has a problem in that it is difficult to take off the dressing action or to put it back on after taking it off.

Next, the wearing article 1 of this embodiment will be described. Figures 7A to 7C are diagrams explaining the action of taking off the wearing article 1 when the wearing article 1 is used in combination with the absorbent pad 100.

Fig. 7A shows the wearable article 1 of this embodiment in a normally worn state. That is, Fig. 7A shows the wearable article 1 having elasticity being worn, so that the absorbent pad 100 fits in a normal position on the wearer's body (i.e., the groin area). When removing the wearable article 1, the wearer grasps the upper end of the wearable article 1 (near the waist opening BH) with both hands and pulls it down, as in Fig. 6A of the comparative example.

The waist region BR of the worn article 1 has a low stiffness in the region above the upper end of the engagement region 30, and a region below the upper end of the engagement region 30 has a high stiffness due to the rigidity of the engagement region 30 and the absorbent pad 100 engaged therewith. Therefore, when the pulling down operation is started, as shown in FIG. 7B, wrinkles are formed in the waist region BR from the upper end of the worn article 1 to the upper end of the engagement region 30, and the wearing position of the worn article 1 is lowered. The worn article 1 (main body 10) of this embodiment is made of a knitted fabric with low stiffness, so wrinkles are easily formed with a weak force. As the pulling down operation starts, fine wrinkles begin to form in the waist region BR above the upper end of the engagement region 30, preventing the entire waist region BR from rolling up.

The absorbent pad 100 is engaged with the engagement region 30 provided in the waist region BR of the wearing article 1, so when the wearing article 1 is pulled down to the position of the engagement region 30, the absorbent pad 100 engaged with the engagement region 30 is also pulled down together with the wearing article 1. In this pulling down operation, the leg openings LH of the wearing article 1 are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs compared to the boxer shorts-type wearing article 200 of the comparative example, because the leg openings of the wearing article 1 are cut diagonally. In addition, in the crotch region CR and part of the waist region BR of the wearing article 1, the absorbent pad 100 is integrated in a state of being overlapped in the thickness direction, so that the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100 makes it less likely to roll up or bend as in the comparative example. As a result, the wearing article 1 is pulled down together with the absorbent pad 100 without significantly losing its shape when worn, as shown in FIG. 7B.

Furthermore, as the wearer's legs (thighs) become thinner as they go down, the difference in diameter with the diagonally cut leg openings LH gradually increases, and friction between the wearer's legs and the leg openings LH decreases. This allows the wearer to pull down the wearer's article 1 smoothly without the absorbent pad 100 coming off. In addition, the weight of the absorbent pad 100 attached to the wearer's article 1 acts to press the crotch area CR downward, helping to bolster the force pulling down the wearer's article 1, making it easy to take off the wearer's article 1.

In this way, in the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH is located above the lower end in the left-right center of the crotch region CR of the wearing article 1 in the vertical direction (i.e., at the same height as the lower end LHb of the leg opening LH), and the leg opening LH is formed at an angle. Therefore, compared to a boxer shorts-type wearing article such as the comparative example, the leg opening LH is less likely to get caught on the legs when undressing, and the further downward it is, the greater the difference in diameter between the wearer's legs and the leg opening LH becomes, making it easier to pull down smoothly.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the entire engagement region 30 is positioned above the vertical center position CL, and the absorbent pad 100 is engaged via the engagement region 30. This allows the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100 to act on the upper half of the worn article 1 (the region including at least a part of the waist region BR), preventing the waist region BR from rolling up. As the waist region BR is being pulled down, a force is applied to the crotch region CR via the absorbent pad 100, and the weight of the absorbent pad 100 itself also has the effect of pushing it downward, making it easier to take off the clothes.

As a result, the waist region BR is less likely to roll up when the wearable article 1 is taken off, and the absorbent pad 100 is prevented from coming off the wearable article 1.

Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the wearing article 1 in its natural state, it is preferable that the length LCR of the crotch region CR is longer than the length LBR of the waist region BR (LCR>LBR). As described in FIG. 7, in the action of undressing the wearing article 1, the upper end of the waist region BR (near the waist opening BH) is grasped and pulled down. At this time, if the length LBR of the waist region BR in the vertical direction is long, the distance between the waist opening BH and the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH is also long, and the force of pulling down the waist region BR is not easily transmitted to the leg opening LH. In contrast, by making LCR>LBR, the force of pulling down the waist region BR is easily transmitted from the waist opening BH to the leg opening LH compared to the opposite case. Therefore, the tension acting along the periphery of the leg opening LH is easily released from the wearer's legs, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the leg opening LH can be prevented from getting caught by the legs during the action of undressing. This makes it easier to pull down the worn article 1 and prevents the waist area from rolling up.

Furthermore, in the worn article 1, the bending resistance of the crotch region CR is preferably 8.5 mNM or less. Here, the bending resistance of the crotch region CR is an index showing the "softness" of the crotch region CR of the worn article 1 against bending, and can be expressed, for example, using the repulsive force (hereinafter also referred to as "torque value") when a specific area in the crotch region CR is twisted. The torque value can be measured as follows. Figure 8 is a diagram explaining a method for measuring the torque value in the crotch region CR of the worn article 1. Figure 9 is a table showing the conditions when measuring the torque value. Note that, taking into consideration the direction of the force acting on the crotch region CR when the worn article 1 is undressed (the direction in which the crotch region CR is turned up), the torque value is measured in the left-right direction.

When measuring the torque value in the left-right direction, first, the measurement position for performing the torque test is specified for the wearing article 1 in the natural state. Here, a reference line is drawn at a position 20 mm from the bottom end in the vertical direction of the wearing article 1 in the natural state. Then, in the left-right direction, a line of a predetermined length is drawn in the vertical direction from the reference line at a position 15 mm away from the center to one side (left side in FIG. 8), and this is set as the one-side chuck position Ck1. Similarly, in the left-right direction, a line of a predetermined length is drawn in the vertical direction from the reference line at a position 15 mm away from the center to the other side (right side in FIG. 8), and this is set as the other-side chuck position Ck2. That is, in the left-right center of the wearing article 1 in the natural state, the one-side chuck position Ck1 and the other-side chuck position Ck2, which are spaced 30 mm apart in the left-right direction, are specified as measurement positions. Note that when measuring the torque value of the crotch region CR, it is advisable to cut off the unnecessary waist region BR.

Next, chuck positions Ck1 and Ck2 are clamped by the chucks of a torque test device (for example, an IMADA torque test device: model number EX-0762). In Figure 8, the upper chuck 81 of the torque test device lightly clamps the chuck position Ck1 on one side of the wearable article 1, and the lower chuck 82 lightly clamps the chuck position Ck2 on the other side of the wearable article 1, and the lower chuck 82 is tightened, followed by the upper chuck 81, to fix the chucks at a distance of 30 mm. When tightening the

chucks

81 and 82, a torque driver is used to tighten them at a specified setting (see Figure 9) until they spin freely.

Then, the tensile load of the torque test device is reset to zero, and the worn article 1 is pulled to apply tension until a load of 1 N is applied. The detection side torque value is then set to zero, assuming that no wrinkles have occurred between chuck positions Ck1 and Ck2. From this state, torque value measurement is started. The torque value is measured based on the conditions shown in FIG. 9, and the average of the maximum values (maximum torque values) obtained by performing n measurements is regarded as the torque value.

Such torque tests were carried out under the same conditions for six types of samples: the worn article 1 according to this embodiment, modified examples 2 and 3 in which the specifications of the worn article 1 were partially modified, and, as comparative examples, commercially available sanitary shorts that also serve as absorbent pads (conventional examples 4 to 6). Figure 10 shows data representing the measurement results of the torque values. Note that modified example 2 is one in which the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 of the worn article 1 is made thicker, and modified example 3 is one in which the type of yarn and the knitting method of the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 of the worn article 1 are changed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the average value of the bending resistance (torque value) in the left-right direction of the worn article 1 and its modified examples 2 and 3 is 6.03 mNM or less, whereas the average value of the bending resistance (torque value) in the left-right direction of the conventional examples 4 to 6 is 10.3 mNM or more. Furthermore, these worn articles are mass-produced as industrial products. Therefore, when the bending resistance values are normally distributed, and the range (average value + 3σ, average value - 3σ) that includes 99.7% of actual products is taken into consideration, the bending resistance (torque value) in the left-right direction of the worn article 1 and its modified examples 2 and 3 is 7.054 mNM or less, and the bending resistance (torque value) in the left-right direction of the conventional examples 4 to 6 is 8.534 mNM or more. From these facts, it was confirmed that the bending resistance in the crotch region CR of the worn article 1 and its modified examples 2 and 3 is smaller than that of commercially available sanitary shorts (conventional examples 4 to 6), and that the crotch region CR is constructed flexibly.

When taking off a pants-type wearing article, if the stiffness of the area between the pair of leg openings LH, LH (crotch region CR) is high and difficult to deform, the crotch region CR may be stretched between the wearer's legs, and the leg openings LH may easily get caught on the legs. If the leg openings LH get caught on the legs when pulling the wearing article down, causing high resistance, the wearing article may easily roll up and the absorbent pad may come off. In particular, in a boxer-shorts-type wearing article as described in Figure 6, the leg openings LH are likely to get caught on the legs and roll up.

In contrast, in the worn article 1, the bending resistance of the area between the pair of leg openings LH, LH (crotch region CR) is low and flexible, so the leg opening LH is also easily deformed in response to the deformation of the crotch region CR. Therefore, the leg opening LH is less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs during undressing, and can be pulled down with a weak force. Specifically, if the bending resistance of the crotch region CR is 8.5 mNM or less, rolling up as shown in FIG. 6 is less likely to occur compared to the opposite case (including conventional examples 4 to 6 in FIG. 10). In other words, by maintaining elasticity and flexibility to ensure comfortable wearability, the bending resistance of the crotch region CR is reduced, allowing the worn article 1 to be pulled down smoothly and making it easier to prevent the absorbent pad from coming off.

Furthermore, while the stiffness of the crotch region CR has been described, it is preferable that the stiffness of the waist region BR is also as low as possible. As described in FIG. 7B, during the act of undressing, the worn article 1 is pulled down while forming wrinkles at the upper end of the waist region BR, and when it reaches the engagement region 30, it is pulled down together with the absorbent pad 100 engaged with the engagement region 30. This makes it difficult for the waist region BR to roll up, and prevents the absorbent pad 100 from coming off. Therefore, it is desirable that the waist region BR has a degree of flexibility that allows fine wrinkles to be easily formed.

The bending resistance of the waist region BR can be measured by using a known cantilever method for the sheet member (fabric) constituting the waist region BR. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method for measuring the bending resistance of the waist region BR of the wearing article 1.
c.c.

FIG. 11A is a diagram for explaining a method of taking a test piece to be measured for bending resistance. In the cantilever method, bending resistance is measured using a test piece of a predetermined size. In this embodiment, a predetermined number (e.g., three pieces) of test pieces 15 are taken from the fabric constituting the waist region BR of the worn article 1. As shown in FIG. 11A, the test piece 15 is cut out from a portion of the waist region BR that does not include members other than the fabric constituting the main body portion 10, such as the stretch suppressing portion 20 (stretch suppressing means), the engagement region 30, and the waist fold-back portion 11 (low waist stretch region), on one side (front body side or back body side) in the front-to-rear direction of the worn article 1 in its natural state. In this embodiment, the length of the test piece 15 in the vertical direction is 150 mm, and the length in the horizontal direction is 25 mm. In addition, the front side (non-skin side of the worn article 1) and the back side (skin side of the worn article 1) of the taken test piece are made clear. The bending resistance was measured by cutting out multiple (3) test pieces 15 from each of the worn article 1 of this embodiment and the worn articles of modified examples 2 and 3 described in FIG. 10.

The bending resistance of each of the collected test pieces 15 is measured using a commercially available cantilever tester (for example, a bending resistance tester manufactured by Daiei Scientific Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.: Model No. CAN-1MCB). The cantilever tester has a horizontal table 501 with a smooth surface, a slope 502 with a 45 degree incline, a pressure plate 503 that holds the test piece, and a sample holder 504 that moves the test piece along the horizontal table 501.

First, as shown in FIG. 11B, the test piece 15 is placed on the horizontal table 501 with the front surface facing up, and one end of the long side of the test piece 15 is positioned at the boundary between the horizontal table 501 and the inclined surface 502, and the other end of the long side is in contact with the sample holder 504. The position of the sample holder 504 at this time is the measurement start position. Next, the test piece 15 is clamped between the horizontal table 501 and the pressing plate 503, and the measurement is started. When the measurement is started, the sample holder 504 moves horizontally from the measurement start position toward the inclined surface 502 side on the horizontal table 501 at a constant speed (for example, 5 mm/sec) while pushing the test piece 15 in the long side direction. Then, the movement distance of the sample holder 504 at the moment when one end of the long side of the test piece 15 comes into contact with the inclined surface 502 (the distance the other end of the long side of the test piece 15 moves from the measurement start position) is measured. After the measurement is completed, the test piece 15 is turned over and the same measurement is performed. This measurement is performed for each of the multiple test pieces 15, and the average of the measured values for the front side and the back side is taken as the average bending resistance (mm) of the test piece 15.

Figure 12 is a table showing the results of measuring the stiffness of the waist region BR by a cantilever test. The average stiffness of the waist region BR was 42.5 mm or less for both wearing item 1 and modified examples 2 and 3. According to "Relationship between subjective evaluation of fabric touch and skirt wearing and material properties" by Hattori Yumiko, Bulletin of the Faculty of Education and Regional Studies, University of Fukui, published January 2015, "When fabric is used for a skirt, it was observed that fabrics with low stiffness tend to produce fine folds, while fabrics with high stiffness tend to spread over the entire skirt," and "When stiffness is 55 mm or more, almost everyone rated it as 'stiff' both to the touch and when wearing the skirt."

In other words, it was clear that the stiffness of the worn article 1 and the modified examples 2 and 3 was less than 55 mm, and that the stiffness was reduced. It was therefore confirmed that the waist region BR of the worn article 1 (and the modified examples 2 and 3) was less stiff and wrinkles were more likely to form. On the other hand, a fabric with a low stiffness may be more likely to cause the fabric to roll up during undressing. However, in the worn article 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the engagement region 30 is provided above the vertical center position, and the leg openings are cut at an angle to prevent the fabric from getting caught on the wearer's legs, making it easier to pull down the worn article 1 smoothly and reducing the likelihood of the waist region BR rolling up.

In addition, in the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, the crotch region CR is not provided with a waterproof material separate from the material (knitted fabric) constituting the main body 10. In conventional wearing articles (e.g., sanitary shorts, etc.) that are used in combination with a pad, a waterproof material such as a liquid-impermeable resin sheet may be provided on the skin side of the crotch portion to prevent excreted fluids from leaking and adhering to clothing. However, if such a waterproof material is provided in the part corresponding to the crotch region CR, the rigidity of the crotch region CR may increase, causing the crotch region CR to be stretched between the wearer's legs during undressing, making the leg openings LH, LH more likely to get caught on the wearer's legs. In contrast, in this embodiment, since a separate waterproof material is not provided in the crotch region CR, the flexibility of the crotch region CR is easily maintained, and the leg openings LH are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs. Therefore, the wearing article 1 is easier to pull down, and the waist region BR is prevented from rolling up.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the stretching force of the leg openings LH in the circumferential direction is smaller than the stretching force of the waist opening BH in the circumferential direction. In other words, it is preferable that the force required to stretch the leg openings LH by a unit length along its periphery is smaller than the force required to stretch the waist opening BH by a unit length along its periphery. With this configuration, the tension along the leg openings LH is weaker than in the opposite case (when the stretching force of the leg openings LH is equal to or greater than the stretching force of the waist opening BH), so that the leg openings LH are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs during undressing. Therefore, as described in FIG. 7, the worn article 1 is less likely to roll up, and the absorbent pad 100 can be prevented from coming off.

The leg openings LH are formed by diagonally cutting the knitted fabric constituting the worn article 1 (main body 10) (see FIG. 3B). The main body 10 of the worn article 1 is made of circularly knitted fabric along the vertical direction, so it generally tends to stretch in the course direction in which the loops (mesh) are lined up horizontally (the direction along the left-right direction of the worn article 1). However, depending on the arrangement and shape of the stretch suppressing parts 20 and the engagement regions 30 provided on the worn article 1, it may also tend to stretch in the wale direction in which the loops are vertically connected (the direction along the vertical direction of the worn article 1). In other words, the fabric constituting the worn article 1 is most likely to stretch along the vertical or left-right direction.

When such fabric is cut diagonally in the direction in which it is most stretchable (i.e., up-down or left-right), the number of places where the loop connections are cut increases, weakening the constraint between adjacent loops and increasing the stretchability at the cut points. Therefore, by forming the leg openings LH by cutting diagonally in the up-down or left-right direction, which are the directions in which the worn article 1 is most stretchable, the stretching force of the leg openings LH can be weakened. This weakens the tension along the periphery of the leg openings LH during the act of undressing, making it easier to prevent the leg openings LH from getting caught on the wearer's legs.

Furthermore, a waist fold 11 is provided around the periphery of the waist opening BH of the worn article 1. This waist fold 11 has a strong stretching force, for example, because a thread that is difficult to stretch is woven into it. In other words, the amount of force required to stretch the waist opening BH by a unit length along the periphery is greater than the amount of force required to stretch other regions by a unit length. In other words, the worn article 1 has a low waist stretch region along the periphery of the waist opening BH that is less stretchable than other regions of the waist region BR.

The engagement region 30 does not overlap with the waist fold 11 (low waist stretch region) in the vertical direction of the worn article 1 (see FIG. 2). That is, the engagement region 30 is located at a position a predetermined distance below the lower end of the waist fold 11 (low waist stretch region). When undressing, the wearer grasps the waist fold 11 with his or her hands and pulls it down while widening the waist opening BH (see FIG. 7B, etc.). At this time, since the engagement region 30 does not overlap with the waist fold 11, the large contraction force generated by the waist fold 11b is unlikely to affect the engagement region 30, making it easier to prevent the absorbent pad 100 from coming off the engagement region 30.

2, in the vertical direction of the worn article 1, the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 is located below the center position CLBR of the waist region BR. If the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 were located above the center position CLBR of the waist region BR, the engagement region 30 itself would be more likely to be grabbed by the wearer's hand when the wearer grabs and pulls down the upper end of the waist region BR during undressing. In this case, the absorbent pad engagement region 120 and the engagement region 30 may come out of engagement, causing the absorbent pad 100 to detach from the worn article 1. In addition, since a force is applied to the engagement region 30 immediately after the wearer starts to grab and pull down the upper end of the waist region BR, the engagement region 30 and the absorbent pad engagement region 120 may come out of engagement. In particular, in the case of the wearing article 1, where the bending resistance of the waist region BR is low, if the position of the engagement region 30 is excessively high, the waist region BR may be rolled up, and a force may act in a direction that causes the engagement with the absorbent pad 100 to peel off (so-called peeling), making the engagement more likely to come off.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 is located below the center position CLBR of the waist region BR, which makes it easier to prevent the engagement region 30 from being grasped by hand and to prevent wrinkles from forming above the engagement region 30, making it easier to prevent the engagement with the absorbent pad engagement region 120 from coming off. Therefore, it is easier to prevent the absorbent pad 100 from coming off the wearing article 1 during the act of undressing.

Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the worn article 1, the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 is located below the center position CLBR of the waist region BR and above the center position QLBR between the center position CLBR of the waist region BR and the lower end position (position of LHt) of the waist region BR (see FIG. 2). In other words, in the vertical direction, the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 is located in the third region from the top when the waist region BR is divided into four equal parts. If the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 were located below the center position QLBR in the vertical direction, the region in the waist region BR where the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100 acts would be smaller when the absorbent pad 100 is engaged, and the waist region BR would be more likely to roll up during undressing.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the center position CL30 of the engagement region 30 is located above the center position QLBR in FIG. 2 (and below CLBR), so that when the absorbent pad 100 is engaged, the area in the waist region BR where the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100 acts is larger than in the above-mentioned case (when CL30 is below QLBR), making it easier to prevent the waist region BR from rolling up during undressing.

Furthermore, the pair of leg openings LH, LH are provided with leg overlock sections 13 along their periphery. The provision of the leg overlock sections 13 increases the rigidity of the pair of leg openings LH, LH located on both sides of the crotch region CR. In other words, by having both sides of the crotch region CR supported by the highly rigid leg openings LH, it becomes easier to prevent the crotch region CR from bending or rolling up in the vertical direction during undressing.

In addition, the crotch region CR of the wearable article 1 is provided with a crotch seam 12 having a predetermined length along the left-right direction, and has a portion where the leg overlock seam 13 and the crotch seam 12 intersect. The crotch seam 12 extending in the left-right direction and the leg overlock seam 13 arranged at both ends intersect with each other, functioning like a skeleton near the lower end and both side ends of the crotch region CR, and the absorbent pad 100 can be stably held. This makes it easier to maintain the unity of the absorbent pad 100 and the crotch region CR during undressing, and makes it easier to prevent the crotch region CR from rolling up due to the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100. In addition, the skeleton formed by the leg overlock seam 13 and the crotch seam 12 makes it easier to support the weight of the absorbent pad 100 at the lower end of the crotch region CR. Therefore, even if the crotch region CR is constructed to be flexible, as in the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the crotch region CR from stretching due to the weight of the absorbent pad 100 during undressing.

In addition, in the worn article 1 in its natural state, the length (width) WCR in the left-right direction of the crotch region CR is preferably 25% or more and 50% or less of the left-right length L0 of the worn article 1 (0.25×L0≦WCR≦0.5×L0). As described above, the knitted fabric constituting the worn article 1 (main body portion 10) can be stretched in the left-right direction by at least 200%. The left-right width (WLH, not shown) of the leg opening LH when stretched in the left-right direction by 200% is expressed as WLH=(L-WCR)/2=(2×L0-WCR)/2. Therefore, when the condition 0.25×L0≦WCR≦0.5×L0 is satisfied, the left-right width of the leg opening LH is 0.5×L0≦WLH≦0.75×L0.

In order to prevent the wearer's legs from getting caught on the periphery of the leg openings LH when passing the legs through the leg openings LH during the putting on and taking off of the wearable article 1, it is desirable to make the leg openings LH wider than the diameter of the wearer's legs. Normally, the width of the wearer's legs is 50% or less of the wearer's waist width, so if the above condition (0.5 x L0 ≦ WLH ≦ 0.75 x L0) is met, the width WLH in the left-right direction of the leg openings LH when stretched during the putting on and taking off action will be wider than 50% of the wearer's waist width L0. Therefore, when the wearable article 1 is put on and taken off, the leg openings LH are more likely to be wider than the wearer's legs, making it easier to prevent the leg openings LH from getting caught on the legs.

The crotch region CR is also provided with a stretch suppressing means (stretch suppressing portion 20) having a predetermined length in the vertical direction. As described above, the stretch suppressing means is formed by stitching a low-stretch thread, and the portion of the crotch region CR where the stretch suppressing means is provided is more rigid than other portions. Therefore, when the worn article 1 is taken off, the crotch region CR is less likely to roll up, and the absorbent pad 100 is stably held and less likely to come off. In particular, the worn article 1 has a central stretch suppressing portion 21 (22) provided in the center in the left-right direction, which functions as a central skeleton of the crotch region CR and makes it easier to suppress rolling up, etc.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (front central stretch suppressing portion 21) as the stretch suppressing means extends above the upper end of the crotch region CR (upper end LHt of the leg opening LH) in the vertical direction. In other words, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (front central stretch suppressing portion 21) extends from the crotch region CR to the waist region BR. In the portion where the central stretch suppressing portion 21 (22) is provided, the rigidity of the region continuing from the crotch region CR to the waist region BR in the vertical direction is increased, making the region less likely to bend in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the rolling up of at least a portion of the crotch region CR and the upper waist region BR when the worn article 1 is being undressed.

Furthermore, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (front central stretch suppressing portion 21) serving as the stretch suppressing means has a portion that overlaps with the engagement region 30 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 2). The engagement region 30 is an area whose rigidity is increased by being integrated with the absorbent pad 100 when the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1, and by overlapping with the stretch suppressing portion 20, the rigidity of the engagement region 30 in the vertical direction is further increased. This makes it difficult for the portion of the waist region BR where the engagement region 30 is provided to bend in the vertical direction, making it easier to suppress the waist region BR from rolling up when the wearing article 1 is being undressed.

<Regarding the container for the worn article 1>
The wearing articles 1 manufactured in a manufacturing factory or the like are folded compactly and shipped in a state in which one or more of the wearing articles 1 are accommodated in a predetermined accommodation member, and are then distributed in the market. In the following, a wearing article accommodation body 90 in which a plurality of the wearing articles 1 are accommodated in a accommodation member 70 will be described.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a wearable article container 90 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "container 90"). The container 90 has a container member 70, which is a bag-shaped member, and one or more wearable articles 1 contained inside the container member 70. Note that the container 90 does not contain an absorbent pad 100, and when a user uses the wearable article 1 in combination with the absorbent pad 100, the user must prepare the absorbent pad 100 separately, for example by purchasing it.

As shown in FIG. 13, the container 90 has a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction that intersect with one another. One side of the first direction is the upper side, and the other side is the lower side. Similarly, one side of the second direction is the right side, and the other side is the left side, and one side of the third direction is the front side, and the other side is the rear side.

The storage member 70 is a container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. 13, and is formed by folding a base sheet 71, which is a sheet member constituting the storage member 70, and joining predetermined portions. The base sheet 71 is a resin sheet member, and liquid-impermeable resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be used. When storing the wearing articles 1 in the storage member 70, first. The base sheet 71 is folded to form a bag shape having an opening at the upper end in the first direction (not shown), and a predetermined number of wearing articles 1 are stored through the opening at the upper end. After storing the wearing articles 1, the base sheet 71 is folded at the upper end as shown in FIG. 1 (for example, gusset folding), and the opposing surfaces are joined to close the opening. This results in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped storage body 90 as shown in FIG. 13. However, the shape of the storage member 70, the method of folding the base sheet 71, and the method of enclosing the wearing articles 1 are not limited to this.

The front surface of the storage member 70 in the third direction corresponds to the front of the storage body 90, and is the surface that the user sees at a store or the like. Information consisting of a plurality of characters and pictures is displayed (printed) on the front of the storage member 70. In the example of FIG. 13, a product name display section 72, a product image display section 73, an explanation display section 74, and a note display section 75 are provided. The product name display section 72 is a section where information showing the product name of the worn article 1 is displayed, and the user can select and purchase the worn article 1 from among many types of absorbent articles using the product name display section 72 as a guide. The product image display section 73 is a section where information showing images related to the worn article 1 and the user is displayed. By visually checking the product image display section 73, the user can easily understand at a glance the overview of the product and the type of person that the product is intended to wear.

The explanation display section 74 is an area where information is displayed that shows the product description of the wearable article 1, and includes at least an indication that evokes the use in combination with the absorbent pad 100. In FIG. 13, information is displayed that the wearable article 1 can be used in combination with an absorbent pad, and information is displayed explaining the absorbent pad (absorbent pad 100) to be used in combination. The note display section 75 is an area where notes other than the information displayed in the explanation display section 74 are displayed, and indicates information that is beneficial to the user. In FIG. 13, information is displayed indicating that the wearable article 1 can be used repeatedly, allowing the user to recognize that the wearable article 1 is reusable.

In addition, these information display sections 72 to 75 may not be printed on the base sheet 71 that constitutes the storage member 70, but may be constructed by attaching a sticker showing predetermined information to the surface of the base sheet 71, for example. Furthermore, if the base sheet 71 is a transparent sheet member, they may be constructed by enclosing a card or the like showing predetermined information inside so that the card can be seen from the outside.

By distributing this type of container 90 on the market, users who see the container 90 can easily recognize the function and usage of the wearable article 1, and can use the wearable article 1 correctly.

===Other===
The above-mentioned embodiment is for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that the stretch suppressing section 20 is provided as a stretch suppressing means for suppressing the stretch of the main body section 10, but stretch suppressing means other than the stretch suppressing section 20 may be provided. For example, if a separate sheet member such as a hook-and-loop fastener is provided in the engagement region 30, the stretch of the main body section 10 is suppressed in the engagement region 30 as well. In other words, the engagement region 30 etc. may also function as a stretch suppressing means.

1. Wearing article (pants-type wearing article),
10 Main body portion,
11 waist fold, 12 crotch seam, 13 leg sewn,
20 stretch suppression unit (stretch suppression means),
21 front central stretch suppressing portion, 22 rear central stretch suppressing portion,
23 Front side stretch suppression portion (both side stretch suppression means),
24 Rear side stretch suppressing portion (both side stretch suppressing means),
30 engagement region,
31 front engagement region, 32 rear engagement region,
70 storage member,
71 Base sheet,
72 Product name display section, 73 Product image display section, 74 Explanation display section,
75 Note display section,
81 upper chuck, 82 lower chuck,
90 Wearing article container (container),
100 absorbent pads,
110 Absorbent body, 111 Top sheet, 112 Back sheet,
115 Side sheet, 116 Absorbent pad elastic member,
120 absorbent pad engaging area,
121 front absorbent pad engagement region, 122 rear absorbent pad engagement region,
200 Wearing article (Comparative example),
300 Absorbent pad (comparative example),
501 horizontal table, 502 inclined surface, 503 pressing plate, 504 sample holder,
BH waist opening,
LH leg opening, LHt upper end, LHb lower end,
BR waist area,
CR Crotch area

Claims

a wearing article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction intersecting each other, the wearing article having elasticity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the wearing article being used in combination with an absorbent pad;
a storage member for storing the wearing article;
A wearing article container comprising:
The wearing article is reusable,
the container member is provided with an indication that the wearing article is to be used in combination with the absorbent pad,
The wearing article has a pair of leg openings,
In the vertical direction, an upper end of the leg opening is located higher than a lower end of the center of the wearing article in the left-right direction,
an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad;
The wearing article container, wherein the entirety of the engagement region is disposed above a center position of the wearing article in the up-down direction.
The vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction intersect with each other,
A wearing article made of a knitted or woven fabric, having a pair of leg openings, and used in combination with an absorbent pad,
In the vertical direction, an upper end of the leg opening is located higher than a lower end of the center of the wearing article in the left-right direction,
an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad;
The wearing article, wherein the entirety of the engagement region is disposed above a center position of the wearing article in the up-down direction.
The wearing article according to claim 2,
In the up-down direction,
a crotch region located between an upper end of the leg openings and a lower end of the wearing article and between inner ends of the pair of leg openings in the left-right direction;
a waist region located between an upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article;
having
A wearing article, characterized in that in a natural state, the vertical length of the crotch region is longer than the vertical length of the waist region.
The wearing article according to claim 3,
The crotch region has a bending resistance of 8.5 mNm or less.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
The wearing article, characterized in that the crotch region is not provided with a waterproof material separate from the fabric constituting the main body of the wearing article.
The wearing article according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
Equipped with a waist opening,
The magnitude of the force required to stretch the leg opening by a unit length along the periphery of the leg opening is
The force required to stretch the article by a unit length along the periphery of the waist opening is smaller than that required to stretch the article by a unit length along the periphery of the waist opening.
The wearing article according to claim 6,
The waist opening has a low-stretch waist area in which the force required to stretch the waist opening by a unit length along its periphery is greater than the force required to stretch other areas by a unit length,
The wearing article, wherein the engagement region is disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance below a lower end of the low-elasticity waist region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The wearing article is made of the knitted fabric,
The article is characterized in that the leg openings are formed by cutting the knitted fabric obliquely with respect to a direction in which the knitted fabric is most likely to stretch.
The wearing article according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
a waist region located between an upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article;
A wearing article, characterized in that a center position of the engagement region is located lower than a center position of the waist region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 9,
a central position of the engagement region being located above a central position between a central position of the waist region and a lower end of the waist region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
A wearing article comprising a pair of leg openings, each having a serged portion along a peripheral edge thereof.
The wearing article according to claim 11,
a crotch region located between upper ends of the leg openings and a lower end of the wearing article in the vertical direction and between inner ends of the pair of leg openings in the left-right direction;
A crotch seam having a predetermined length in the left-right direction is provided in the crotch region,
A wearing article comprising an intersecting portion of the crotch seam and the overlock seam.
The wearing article according to claim 12,
The length of the crotch region in the left-right direction in a natural state is
The length of the worn article in the left-right direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of the length of the worn article in a natural state.
The wearing article according to claim 12,
A wearing article comprising, in the crotch region, stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 14,
The stretch suppressing means extends above an upper end of the crotch region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 14,
The stretch suppressing means and the engagement region have an overlapping portion in the vertical direction.