WO2024079824A1

WO2024079824A1 - Wearable article storage container, and wearable article

Info

Publication number: WO2024079824A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/038095
Authority: WO
Inventors: 洋介新保; 健人梨子木; 沙也佳櫻井; チュティカーンコータンサブ; マリサーウォンキティシン
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: WO2024080059A1

Abstract

This wearable article storage container (90) comprises an elastic wearable article (1) used together with an absorbent pad (100), and a storage member (70) for storing the wearable article (1), wherein: the wearable article (1) is reusable; the storage member (70) comprises a display (74) reminding that the wearable article (1) is used together with the absorbent pad (100); the wearable article (1) includes a pair of leg holes (LH), and has a crotch region (CR) and a waist region (BR); the length of the crotch region (CR) in the left-right direction is 25-50% of the length of the wearable article in the left-right direction in a natural state, and the length (LCR) of the crotch region (CR) in the up-down direction is greater than the length (LBR) of the waist region (BR) in the up-down direction; and the crotch region (CR) has an expansion/contraction suppressing means (20) having a prescribed length in the up-down 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 elastic wearable articles that use an absorbent pad attached to the crotch area to absorb urine and other excrement. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wearable article in the shape of so-called boxer shorts that is worn in combination with a pad-type absorbent.

JP 2015-128587 A

In such wearable articles, if the area between the pair of leg openings (crotch area) is narrow, the absorbent pad will stick out, making it difficult to hold the absorbent pad securely. One solution is to widen the crotch area to make it easier to hold the absorbent pad. However, if the crotch area is made wider, there is a risk that the edges of the leg openings will easily get caught on the user's (wearer's) legs when they put their legs through the garment. Furthermore, if the wearable article is pulled up with the legs caught in the leg openings, the crotch area will stretch vertically, making it difficult to pull the absorbent pad up and fit it around the wearer's crotch.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a wearable article that can hold an absorbent pad firmly and easily fit the absorbent pad to the wearer's body.

The main invention for achieving the above object is a wearing article container including a wearing article having a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-rear direction intersecting each other, and having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions, the wearing article being used in combination with an absorbent pad, and a container for containing the wearing article, the wearing article being reusable, the container for containing the wearing article being provided with a marking that recalls that the wearing article is used in combination with the absorbent pad, the wearing article being provided with a pair of leg openings, and when the wearing article is taken out of the container for resting in a natural state, a gap between an upper end of the leg openings and a lower end of the wearing article in the vertical direction is formed. and a crotch region located between inner ends of the pair of leg openings in the left-right direction, and a waist region located between upper ends of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the up-down direction, wherein the length of the crotch region in the left-right direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of the left-right length of the wearing article in its natural state, the length of the crotch region in the up-down direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the up-down direction, and the crotch region has stretch suppression means having a predetermined length in the up-down 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 can hold an absorbent pad firmly while allowing the absorbent pad to easily fit to the wearer's body.

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 a method of wearing the wearing article 200 when used in combination with an absorbent pad 300. FIG. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a method of wearing the wearing article 1 when used in combination with the absorbent pad 100. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a wearing article container 90 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "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, stretchable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, to be used in combination with an absorbent pad; and a container for containing the wearing article, wherein the wearing article is reusable, the container is provided with a marking that reminds the wearing article to be used in combination with the absorbent pad, the wearing article has a pair of leg openings, and when the wearing article is taken out of the container and placed in a natural state, a gap between an upper end of the leg openings in the vertical direction and a lower end of the wearing article and between the left and right sides of the leg openings is formed. a crotch region located between inner ends of a pair of the leg openings in the vertical direction, and a waist region located between upper ends of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction, wherein the length of the crotch region in the horizontal direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of the length of the wearing article in the horizontal direction in a natural state, the length of the crotch region in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the vertical direction, and the crotch region has stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.

The wearable article container of aspect 1 can hold an absorbent pad between the inner ends of the leg openings of the wearable article contained in the container, while making it difficult for the leg openings to get caught on the wearer's legs when putting it on. In addition, since the vertical length of the crotch region accounts for a large proportion of the wearable article in its natural state, it is easier to hold the absorbent pad more stably. Furthermore, since the vertical stretch of the crotch region is suppressed by the stretch suppression means, when the waist region is grasped and pulled up when putting on the wearable article, a pulling force is more likely to act on the crotch region, making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad. This makes it possible to provide a wearable article and container thereof that can hold the absorbent pad firmly and easily fit it to the wearer's body.

(Aspect 2)
a crotch region located between an upper end 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 horizontal direction; and a waist region located between the upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction, wherein in a natural state, a length in the horizontal direction of the crotch region is 25% or more and 50% or less of a length in the horizontal direction of the wearing article in the natural state, the length in the vertical direction of the crotch region is longer than a length in the vertical direction of the waist region, and the crotch region has an elasticity in the vertical direction.

The wearing article of aspect 2 can hold an absorbent pad between the inner ends of the leg openings while making it difficult for the leg openings to get caught on the wearer's legs when putting it on. In addition, since the vertical length of the crotch region accounts for a large proportion of the wearing article in its natural state, it is easier to hold the absorbent pad more stably. And since the vertical stretch of the crotch region is suppressed by the stretch suppression means, when the waist region is grasped and pulled up while putting on the wearing article, a pulling force is likely to act on the crotch region, making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad. This makes it possible to provide a wearing article that holds the absorbent pad firmly while making it easy for the absorbent pad to fit the wearer's body.

(Aspect 3)
a crotch region located between an upper end 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 horizontal direction; and a waist region located between the upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction, wherein in a natural state, the length of the crotch region in the horizontal direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of the length of the left-right direction of the wearing article in the natural state, the length of the crotch region in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the vertical direction, and the crotch region has an elasticity suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.

The wearable article of aspect 3 can hold an absorbent pad between the inner ends of the leg openings while preventing the leg openings from getting caught on the wearer's legs when wearing the article. In addition, since the vertical length of the crotch region accounts for a large proportion of the wearable article in its natural state, it is easier to hold the absorbent pad more stably. Furthermore, since the vertical stretch of the crotch region is suppressed by the stretch suppression means, when the waist region is grasped and pulled up while wearing the wearable article, a pulling force is more likely to act on the crotch region, making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad. This makes it possible to provide a wearable article that holds the absorbent pad firmly while making it easy to fit the absorbent pad to the wearer's body.

(Aspect 4)
The wearing article according to aspect 2 or 3, wherein in a natural state, an upper end of the leg opening is located higher in the vertical direction than a lower end of the wearing article at a central position in the horizontal direction.

In the wearable article of aspect 4, the leg openings are formed at an angle, and the length along the periphery of the leg openings is longer than in boxer-type wearable articles, so the leg openings are less likely to get caught on the legs when wearing the article. This allows for a smooth pulling up motion.

(Aspect 5)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 4, wherein the stretch suppressing means extends from the crotch region to the waist region in the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 5, when the waist region is gripped and pulled upward, the waist region is made difficult to stretch by the stretch suppressing means extending to the waist region, and therefore a pulling force is easily and efficiently applied to the waist region and the crotch region, making it possible to more smoothly pull up the wearing article.
(Aspect 6)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 5, wherein the waist region has an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad, and the stretch suppressing means and the engagement region have an overlapping portion in the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 6, a pulling force is easily applied to the absorbent pad engaged through the engagement region, making it easier to pull up a heavy absorbent pad. In addition, since the expansion suppressing means suppresses the vertical expansion of the engagement region, the absorbent pad engaged with the engagement region is less likely to shift out of position, making it easier to fit the absorbent pad to the crotch area of the wearer.
(Aspect 7)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 6, wherein the stretch suppressing means extends above an upper end of the engagement region in the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 7, when the wearing article is pulled upward during the wearing action, the entire engagement region in the up-down direction and the waist region above the engagement region are less likely to stretch, and the pulling force is more likely to act on the engaging region, which makes it easier to pull the wearing article upward with the absorbent pad attached.
(Aspect 8)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 7, wherein a sheet member that is a separate member different from the fabric is provided in the engagement region.

According to the wearing article of aspect 8, the engagement region itself is less likely to stretch in the vertical direction than in a case where a separate sheet member is not provided, so that a pulling force acts more easily and the absorbent pad can be easily pulled up without slipping.
(Aspect 9)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 8, further comprising a low-elasticity waist region having a waist opening at an upper end of the waist region, the low-elasticity waist region being configured such that a force required to stretch the waist opening by a unit length along a peripheral edge of the waist opening is greater than a force required to stretch the other region by a unit length, and the stretch suppressing means and the low-elasticity waist region overlap in the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 9, when the waist region is gripped and pulled upward during the wearing action, the pulling force is easily transmitted from the periphery of the waist opening (low-elasticity waist region) to the stretch suppressing means, and the pulling force can be efficiently applied over the entire upper and lower parts of the waist region and the crotch region. This makes it easy to pull up the wearing article by gripping and pulling any part along the periphery of the waist opening.
(Aspect 10)
The stretch suppressing means has a portion of the fabric that has been treated to reduce stretchability of the fabric along the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 10, the elongation rate in the vertical direction can be partially reduced at desired locations of the knitted fabric having a high elongation rate, and therefore it is possible to freely design the portions that are less likely to elongate and easier to apply force to when the wearing article is pulled upward.
(Aspect 11)
The stretch suppressing means is disposed at a central portion of the wearing article in the left-right direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 11, by providing the stretch suppressing means at the portion (lateral center portion) that is the longest in the vertical direction in the natural state, and making it difficult to stretch, it is possible to reduce the amount of vertical movement (pulling amount) when the entire wearing article is pulled up, thereby making the pulling action more efficient.
(Aspect 12)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 11, wherein a crotch seam having a predetermined length in the left-right direction is provided in the crotch region, and the crotch seam and the stretch suppressing means intersect at a portion.

In the wearing article of aspect 12, the stretch suppressing means extending in the vertical direction and the crotch seam extending in the horizontal direction intersect and function like a skeleton of the crotch region, thereby suppressing excessive deformation and stretching of the entire crotch region. This makes it possible to suppress excessive stretching of the crotch region, which would cause the absorbent pad to shift position or become difficult to pull up, when the wearing article is pulled up while holding the absorbent pad in the crotch region.
(Aspect 13)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 12, further comprising a serged portion along the periphery of each of the pair of leg openings, and a portion where the crotch seam and the serged portion intersect.

According to the wearing article of aspect 13, the provision of the overlocking portion makes it easier to stably maintain the shape of the leg openings. In addition, the crotch seam suppresses lateral expansion and contraction, making it easier to maintain the distance between the pair of leg openings. As a result, the crotch region is less likely to deform excessively when the wearing article is put on, and the leg openings are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs.
(Aspect 14)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 13, wherein the crotch seam is disposed at a lower end of the crotch region in the vertical direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 14, the lower end of the crotch part of the crotch region is less likely to stretch in the left-right direction, so that when an absorbent pad is attached, the absorbent pad is more likely to be firmly supported by the lower end of the crotch region. Therefore, when the absorbent pad is pulled upward during wearing, the absorbent pad is more likely to be lifted from below by the crotch region, making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad and improve fit.
(Aspect 15)
A wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 14, wherein a pair of both side stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the up-down direction is provided on both sides in the left-right direction of the stretch suppressing means.

According to the wearing article of aspect 15, when the waist region is gripped and pulled upward during the putting action, the side stretch suppressing means makes it difficult for the side portions of the waist region to stretch up and down, so that a pulling force is easily applied to the side portions of the waist region, and the wearing article can be pulled up more efficiently.
(Aspect 16)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 15, further comprising overlock stitches along the periphery of each of the pair of leg openings, and a portion where the side stretch suppressing means and the overlock stitches intersect.

According to the wearing article of aspect 16, when the both sides of the waist region are gripped and pulled up, the pulling force is easily transmitted from the both side stretch suppressing means to the overlocked parts around the leg openings. Therefore, by pulling up both sides of the waist region, the leg openings are also easily pulled up, and the leg openings are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs when wearing the article.
(Aspect 17)
The wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 16, having a front-rear direction intersecting the up-down direction and the left-right direction, respectively, and the side stretch suppressing means are provided on both the front side and the rear side in the front-rear direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 17, when gripping both sides of the waist region and pulling it upward, the wearing article can be easily pulled up whether the front side or the back side is gripped. In addition, since a plurality of stretch suppressing means are arranged along the circumferential direction of the waist opening, any part of the waist opening in the circumferential direction is likely to suppress vertical stretching by any of the stretch suppressing means, making it easier to pull up the wearing article.
(Aspect 18)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 17, wherein the waist region has an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad, and the side stretch suppressing means is disposed outside the engagement region in the left-right direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 18, the outer regions of the engagement region in the left and right directions have a lower rigidity and are easier to stretch vertically than the region where the absorbent pad is engaged, so that the vertical stretching can be suppressed by providing the side stretch suppressing means, which makes it easier for a pulling force to act on the outer regions of the absorbent pad in the left and right directions, suppressing excessive stretching of the wearing article and making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad.
(Aspect 19)
A wearing article according to any one of aspects 2 to 18, wherein the width of the side stretch suppressing means in the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the stretch suppressing means in the left-right direction.

According to the wearing article of aspect 19, by narrowing the width of the side stretch suppressing means, which is likely to come into direct contact with the wearer's skin when worn, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of the wearer experiencing discomfort, etc. Also, by widening the width of the stretch suppressing means (central stretch suppressing portion) on the rear side, a pulling force is more likely to act on the central portion in the left-right direction, making it easier to fit the absorbent pad along the buttock groove.
(Aspect 20)
The wearing article according to any one of Aspects 2 to 19, wherein in a natural state, the side stretch suppressing means are disposed outside a center position of the leg openings in the left-right direction.

In the wearing article of aspect 20, the distance between the side stretch suppression means and the upper end of the leg opening is closer than when the side stretch suppression means is located laterally inward of the center of the leg opening. Therefore, when the side of the waist area is grasped and pulled up, the pulling force is more likely to act on the upper end of the leg opening via the side stretch suppression means, making it easier to pull up the leg opening.

====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 with thread, which prevents fraying of the thread at the cut point of the leg opening LH. Furthermore, the formation of the leg overlock portion 13 improves the fit of the leg opening LH when worn, making it easier to prevent lateral leakage of excrement such as urine.

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 polymer 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 wearing action of the wearing article 1 when using the absorbent pad 100 together>
Next, a specific operation of putting on the wearing article 1 when using the absorbent pad 100 will be described.

First, as a comparative example, the operation of a conventional wearing article 200 when worn in combination with an absorbent pad 300 will be described. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a conventional wearing article 200 (comparative example). Figures 6A to 6C are diagrams explaining a method of wearing the wearing article 200 when the wearing article 200 and the absorbent pad 300 are used in combination.

The comparative wearing article 200 shown in FIG. 5 is a pants-type wearing article having a waist opening BH and a pair of leg openings LH, LH and a certain degree of stretchability, but unlike the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, the leg openings LH, LH protrude below the crotch portion (the lower end at the center position in the left-right direction of the wearing article 200), making it a so-called "boxer shorts" type. 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 the absorbent pad 100 described in FIG. 4, but does not have a region equivalent to the absorbent pad engagement region 120.

In the comparative example, when the wearable article 200 and the absorbent pad 300 are used together, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, the absorbent pad 300 is placed on the crotch area of the wearer, and then the wearer passes both legs through the leg openings LH, LH of the wearable article 200 and pulls them up to around the knees.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, one hand holds the absorbent pad 300 to prevent it from slipping off the body, while the other hand grabs the wearing article 200 and pulls it upward. Since the wearing article 200 is a boxer shorts type as described in FIG. 5, friction occurs between the leg opening LH protruding downward and the wearer's leg, and the leg opening LH (hem) is likely to get caught on the wearer's leg. Therefore, when trying to pull up the wearing article 200, the pulled part stretches significantly in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 6B, making it difficult to pull up the entire wearing article 200 to the crotch part with one hand. Therefore, it is necessary to take time to pull up the wearing article 200 to the crotch part while appropriately changing the hand and the pulling position, which causes problems with wearability. In addition, since both hands are occupied during the pulling process, it is difficult for the wearer to support his or her own body by placing hands on a wall, chair, etc., and sufficient attention must be paid to ensure safety.

After the worn article 200 is pulled up near the wearer's crotch area, as shown in FIG. 6C, the positions of the worn article 200 and the absorbent pad 300 are adjusted to fit securely around the crotch area. At this time, as the worn article 200 is pulled back and forth, left and right, up and down, the position of the absorbent pad 300 may shift. For example, if the worn article 200 is pulled diagonally upwards to adjust its position, the absorbent pad 300 also tends to shift in the direction it is pulled. In this case, it becomes necessary to pull the absorbent pad 300 in the opposite direction to adjust its position again, but pulling the front side will cause the back side to shift, making it difficult to fit the absorbent pad 300 into the appropriate position in the crotch area.

Next, the operation of the wearable article 1 of this embodiment when worn in combination with the absorbent pad 100 will be described. Figures 7A to 7C are diagrams explaining how to wear the wearable article 1 when the wearable article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 are used in combination.

In this embodiment, first, the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearing article 1. As described above, the absorbent pad 100 is attached by engaging the absorbent pad engagement area 120 of the absorbent pad 100 with the engagement area 30 of the wearing article 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, the wearer's legs are passed through the leg openings LH, LH of the wearing article 1 with the absorbent pad 100 attached, and pulled up to around the knees.

Then, the wearer grasps the waist region BR of the wearable article 1 and pulls it upward. In FIG. 7B, the wearer grasps both sides of the waist region BR in the lateral direction with both hands and pulls it upward. In this embodiment, since the absorbent pad 100 is attached to the wearable article 1 in advance, there is no need to hold the absorbent pad with one hand as in FIG. 6B of the comparative example. Therefore, the wearable article 1 can be pulled up with both hands or pulled up while supporting the body with one hand. In addition, since the leg openings of the wearable article 1 are cut diagonally, the leg openings LH are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs when worn, compared to the boxer shorts-type wearable article 200 of the comparative example. Furthermore, the wearable article 1 is provided with an expansion/contraction suppressing portion 20 as a means for suppressing expansion/contraction in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the leg openings LH are prevented from getting caught on the wearer's legs and the wearable article 1 is prevented from stretching vertically, and the entire wearable article 1 can be smoothly pulled up.

After the worn article 1 is pulled up to the wearer's crotch area, the positions of the worn article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 are adjusted as shown in FIG. 7C. In the worn article 1, the worn article 1 and the absorbent pad 100 are firmly engaged via the engagement region 30 (absorbent pad engagement region 120), so that by adjusting the position of the worn article 1 by pulling it, the position of the absorbent pad 100 can be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, the absorbent pad 100 can be made to fit appropriately to the wearer's crotch area.

In the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, in the natural state, the length (width) WCR in the left-right direction of the crotch region CR is 25% or more and 50% or less of the left-right length L0 of the wearing article 1 (0.25×L0≦WCR≦0.5×L0) (see FIG. 2A). As described above, the knitted fabric constituting the wearing article 1 (main body portion 10) can be stretched at least 200% in the left-right direction. The left-right width (WLH, not shown) of the leg opening LH when stretched 200% in the left-right direction 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 action of putting on 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 width of the wearer's waist, so if the above-mentioned 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 action of putting on the wearable article will be wider than 50% of the width L0 of the wearer's waist. Therefore, when putting on the wearable article 1, the leg openings LH tend to be wider than the wearer's legs, making it easier to pass the legs through the leg openings LH. In addition, the width WCR of the crotch region CR in the left-right direction is ensured to be somewhat wider than the overall width L0 of the worn article 1 (0.25 x L0 ≤ WCRWLH ≤ 0.75 x L0), making it easier to stably hold the absorbent pad 100 in the crotch region CR.

Furthermore, in the natural state of the worn article 1, the vertical length LCR of the crotch region CR is longer than the vertical length LBR of the waist region BR (LCR>LBR) (see FIG. 2A). Therefore, the proportion of the crotch region CR in the worn article 1 is increased, making it easier to hold the absorbent pad 100 more stably.

The crotch region CR is provided with a stretch suppression means (stretch suppression section 20) having a predetermined length in the vertical direction. If the crotch region CR is set wide in a stretchable wearing article 1, when the wearing article 1 is pulled up in the vertical direction while being worn, the crotch region CR may stretch significantly in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 6B, making it difficult to pull up. In contrast, in this embodiment, the stretch suppression means suppresses the vertical stretch of the crotch region CR, so that when the waist region BR of the wearing article 1 is grasped and pulled up while being worn, a pulling force is easily applied to the crotch region CR. In other words, the force consumed to stretch the crotch region CR up and down is reduced, and the force acting to pull up the crotch region CR can be increased accordingly.

With this configuration, the wearable article 1 of this embodiment can hold the absorbent pad 100 firmly while making it easier for the absorbent pad 100 to fit the wearer's body.

In addition, in the wearing article 1 in its natural state, the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH is located up and down above the lower end at the center of the left and right direction of the wearing article 1 (at the same height as the lower end LHb of the leg opening LH in FIG. 2A), and the leg opening LH is formed at an angle. In the boxer-type wearing article 200 as the comparative example, the leg opening LH is formed along the circumferential direction of the wearer's leg, and when the wearer pulls the leg upward during the wearing action, the friction between the leg opening LH and the wearer's leg increases, and the leg opening LH is likely to get caught on the leg (see FIG. 6B). In contrast, in the wearing article 1 of this embodiment, the leg opening LH is formed at an angle, and the length along the periphery of the leg opening LH is longer than that of the boxer-type wearing article, and the leg opening LH is less likely to get caught on the leg during the wearing action. Therefore, the pulling action can be performed smoothly as shown in FIG. 7B.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (front central stretch suppressing portion 21, stretch suppressing means) extends from the crotch region CR to the waist region BR in the vertical direction. When the wearing article 1 is worn, the waist region BR of the wearing article 1 is usually grasped and pulled upward (see FIG. 7B). At that time, if the waist region BR is easily stretched in the vertical direction, it becomes difficult for a pulling force to act on the crotch region CR. In other words, the force consumed to stretch the waist region BR becomes large, making it difficult to apply a large pulling force to the crotch region CR. In contrast, since the stretch suppressing portion 20 extends not only to the crotch region CR but also to the waist region BR, the waist region BR becomes difficult to stretch when the waist region BR is grasped and pulled upward. Therefore, it becomes easier to apply a pulling force efficiently to the crotch region, and the pulling action of the wearing article 1 can be performed more smoothly.

Furthermore, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (stretch suppressing means) has a portion that overlaps with the engagement region 30 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 2). With this configuration, when the worn article 1 is pulled upward during the wearing action, the pulling force is more likely to act on the engagement region 30 as well. Therefore, the pulling force also acts on the absorbent pad 100 that is engaged via the engagement region 30, making it easier to pull up the heavy absorbent pad 100 firmly. Furthermore, because the stretch suppressing portion 20 also suppresses the vertical expansion of the engagement region 30, the absorbent pad 100 that is engaged with the engagement region 30 is less likely to shift in position, making it easier to fit the absorbent pad 100 to the wearer's crotch area.

Furthermore, the stretch suppressing portion 20 (stretch suppressing means) extends above the upper end of the engagement region 30 in the vertical direction. That is, the entire engagement region 30 in the vertical direction overlaps with the stretch suppressing portion 20 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, when the worn article 1 is pulled upward during the wearing action, the entire engagement region 30 in the vertical direction and the waist region BR above the engagement region are less likely to stretch, making it easier for a pulling force to act. This makes it easier to pull the worn article 1 upward with the absorbent pad 100 attached.

In this embodiment, a separate sheet member such as a hook-and-loop fastener is provided in the engagement region 30. Therefore, compared to when such a separate sheet member is not provided, the engagement region 30 itself is less likely to stretch in the vertical direction, making it easier for a pulling force to act, and making it easier to pull the absorbent pad 100 upward while preventing it from shifting out of position.

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 contractile 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 stretch suppressing portion 20 (stretch suppressing means) has a portion that overlaps with the low-stretch waist region (waist fold-back portion 11) in the vertical direction (see FIG. 2). Therefore, when the waist region BR is grasped and pulled upward during the action of putting on the worn article 1, a pulling force is easily transmitted from the periphery of the waist opening BL to the stretch suppressing portion 20, and the pulling force can be efficiently applied over the entire waist region BR and crotch region CR in the vertical direction. This makes it easy to pull up the worn article 1 no matter where along the periphery of the waist opening BL is grasped and pulled.

In addition, in this embodiment, the knitted fabric constituting the main body 10 of the worn article 1 is processed to reduce the stretchability of the knitted fabric in the vertical direction (such as the sewing or knitting process described above), thereby realizing the stretch suppressing section 20 (stretch suppressing means). This makes it possible to partially reduce the vertical stretch rate of desired parts of the knitted fabric, which has a high stretch rate. Therefore, it is possible to freely design parts that are less likely to stretch and are easier to apply force to when the worn article 1 is pulled upward.

As such stretch suppressing section 20 (stretch suppressing means), a front central stretch suppressing section 21 (rear central stretch suppressing section 22) is provided in the left-right central section of the worn article 1. In a pants-type worn article 1 in its natural state, the vertical length is longest at the left-right central section. Therefore, by providing the central

stretch suppressing sections

21, 22 at this longest section to make it more difficult to stretch, the amount of vertical movement (pulling amount) when the entire worn article 1 is pulled up can be reduced. This allows the pulling up operation to be performed more efficiently.

The crotch region CR is provided with a crotch seam 12 having a predetermined length along the left-right direction, and has a portion where the crotch seam 12 intersects with a central stretch suppressing portion 21 (stretch suppressing means). In the portion where the crotch seam 12 is provided, the stretchability of the crotch region CR is suppressed, and the crotch region CR is prevented from stretching in the left-right direction. The central stretch suppressing portion 21 extending in the up-down direction intersects with the crotch seam 12 extending in the left-right direction, functioning as a skeleton of the crotch region CR and preventing excessive deformation and stretching of the entire crotch region. This prevents the crotch region CR from stretching too much, causing the absorbent pad 100 to shift position or become difficult to pull up, when the worn article 1 is pulled up while the absorbent pad 100 is held in the crotch region CR.

Furthermore, the pair of leg openings LH are each provided with a leg overlock stitching 13 along its periphery, and have a portion where the leg overlock stitching 13 and the crotch stitching 12 intersect. The provision of the leg overlock stitching 13 makes it easier to maintain a stable shape of the leg openings LH. Furthermore, the crotch stitching 12 suppresses expansion and contraction in the left-right direction, making it easier to maintain the distance (WCR) between the pair of leg openings LH. As a result, when putting on the wearable article 1, the crotch region is less likely to deform excessively, and the leg openings LH are less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs.

Furthermore, in the worn article 1, the crotch seam 12 is located at the lower end in the vertical direction of the crotch region CR (see FIG. 2, etc.). Since the lower end of the crotch part of the crotch region CR is less likely to stretch in the left-right direction, when the absorbent pad 100 is attached, the absorbent pad 100 is more likely to be firmly supported by the lower end of the crotch region CR. Therefore, when the worn article 1 is pulled upwards while being put on, the absorbent pad 100 is more likely to be lifted from below by the crotch region CR. This makes it easier to pull up the absorbent pad 100, improving the fit.

Also, a pair of side stretch suppressing parts 23, 23 (24, 24) (side stretch suppressing means) having a predetermined length in the vertical direction are provided on both sides of the central stretch suppressing part 21 (22) in the left-right direction (see FIG. 2). As described above, the side stretch suppressing part 23 (24) also functions as a stretch suppressing means for suppressing vertical stretching of the main body part 10, similar to the central stretch suppressing part 21 (22). Therefore, when the waist region BR is grasped and pulled up during the wearing action of the wearing article 1, both sides of the waist region BR where the side stretch suppressing parts 23 are provided are less likely to stretch up and down. As explained in FIG. 7B, during the wearing action of the wearing article 1, both sides of the waist region BR are grasped with both hands and pulled up. At this time, the side stretch suppressing parts 23 are provided near the parts grasped with the hands, so that the pulling force is easily applied to the waist region BR, and the wearing article 1 can be pulled up efficiently.

Furthermore, the side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) has a portion that intersects with the leg overlock portion 13 that is provided along the periphery of the leg opening LH (see FIG. 2). With this configuration, when both sides of the waist region BR are grasped and pulled up, the pulling force is easily transmitted from the side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) to the leg overlock portion 13. Therefore, by pulling up both sides of the waist region BR, the leg opening LH is also easily pulled up, and the leg opening LH is less likely to get caught on the wearer's legs when putting on the garment.

The side

stretch suppressing parts

23, 24 are provided on both sides of the wearing article 1 in the front-rear direction. That is, a pair of front side

stretch suppressing parts

23, 23 is provided on the front side in the front-rear direction, and a pair of rear side

stretch suppressing parts

24, 24 is provided on the rear side in the front-rear direction (see Figs. 2A and 2B). Therefore, when gripping both sides of the waist region BR and pulling it upward, the wearing article 1 can be easily pulled up whether the front side is gripped or the rear side is gripped. In addition, since six stretch suppressing parts 20 (21, 22, 23, 23, 24, 24) are arranged at approximately equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the waist opening BH (see Fig. 1), regardless of which part of the waist opening BH is gripped, the stretch (extension) in the vertical direction of the main body part 10 is easily suppressed by any of the stretch suppressing parts 20 (stretch suppressing means), making it easier to pull up the wearing article 1.

The side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) is disposed outside the engagement region 31 (32) in the left-right direction (see Figs. 2A and 2B). When the wearing article 1 is worn, the absorbent pad 100 is engaged with the engagement region 31 (32) and the wearing article 1 is pulled upward. At this time, the portion where the engagement region 31 (32) is disposed in the left-right direction is likely to suppress the extension of the main body portion 10 due to the rigidity of the absorbent pad 100. On the other hand, the region outside the engagement region 31 (32) in the left-right direction is less rigid than the region where the absorbent pad 100 is engaged, so it is more likely to stretch up and down. Therefore, by providing the side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) in the region outside the engagement region 31 (32) in the left-right direction, the region outside the engagement region 31 (32) in the left-right direction can be suppressed from stretching up and down. This makes it easier for a pulling force to act on both outer left and right regions of the absorbent pad 100, preventing excessive stretching of the main body 10 and making it easier to pull up the absorbent pad 100.

Furthermore, the width W23 in the left-right direction of the side stretch suppressing portion 23 is narrower than the width W21 in the left-right direction of the central stretch suppressing portion 21 (W23<W21, W24<W22). When the wearable article 1 is worn, the central stretch suppressing portion 21 (22) is located closer to the skin than the absorbent pad 100, and is therefore unlikely to come into direct contact with the wearer's skin. On the other hand, the side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) is located on the outside of the absorbent pad 100 in the left-right direction, and is therefore likely to come into direct contact with the wearer's skin. Therefore, if the width W23 of the side stretch suppressing portion 23 is large, it may be more likely to cause discomfort or discomfort to the wearer. Therefore, by making the width W23 of the side stretch suppressing portion 23 narrower than the width W21 of the central stretch suppressing portion 21, it is possible to make it less likely for the wearer to feel discomfort, etc., compared to the opposite case.

In addition, since the rear side in the front-to-rear direction of the worn article 1 is the part that covers the buttocks when worn, the absorbent pad 100 needs to be pulled up firmly at the rear side in order to fit the absorbent pad 100 along the buttock groove. In this embodiment, as described above, the width W22 of the rear central stretch suppressing portion 22 is greater than the width W24 of the rear side stretch suppressing portion 24. Therefore, compared to the opposite case, a pulling force is more likely to act at the center in the left-right direction via the rear central stretch suppressing portion 22, making it easier to fit the absorbent pad 100 along the buttock groove.

The side stretch suppressing portion 23 (24) is disposed outside the center position CLH of the leg opening LH in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the natural state, the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH is disposed outside the center position CLH in the left-right direction. When the leg opening LH is pulled upward, it is desirable to apply a pulling force to a position as close as possible to the upper end LHt. In this embodiment, since the side stretch suppressing portion 23 is disposed outside the center position CLH of the leg opening LH in the left-right direction, the distance between the side stretch suppressing portion 23 and the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH is closer than when the side stretch suppressing portion 23 is disposed inside the center position CLH in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the worn article 1 is worn, when both sides of the waist region BR are grabbed and pulled up, the pulling force is more likely to act on the upper end LHt of the leg opening LH via the side stretch suppressing portion 23. This makes it less likely that the leg opening LH will get caught on the wearer's legs, making it easier to pull up the leg opening LH.

<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. 8 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 by purchasing it separately, etc.

As shown in FIG. 8, 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. 8, and is formed by folding the 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. 8. 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. 8, 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 showing the product description of the wearable article 1 is displayed, and at least includes an indication that evokes the use in combination with the absorbent pad 100. In FIG. 8, information is displayed that the wearable article 1 can be used in combination with an absorbent pad, and information 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. 8, information indicating that the wearable article 1 can be used repeatedly is displayed, 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 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 expansion/contraction suppression unit (expansion/contraction 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,
90 Wearing article 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),
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,
When the wearing article is taken out of the containing member and placed in a natural state,
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 waist region located between an upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction;
having
a length of the crotch region in the left-right direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of a length of the worn article in the left-right direction in a natural state;
The length of the crotch region in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the vertical direction,
The container for storing worn articles has, in the crotch region, a stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.
having an up-down direction and a left-right direction that intersect with each other,
The fabric is made of a knitted or woven fabric and has elasticity in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;
A wearing article having a pair of leg openings and used in combination with an absorbent pad,
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 waist region located between an upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction;
having
In natural conditions,
a length in the left-right direction of the crotch region 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 length of the crotch region in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the vertical direction,
A wearing article comprising, in the crotch region, stretch suppressing means having a predetermined length in the vertical direction.
having an up-down direction and a left-right direction that intersect with each other,
The fabric is configured such that when a sample piece of 50 mm x 200 mm is pulled with a force of 5 N in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, the maximum elongation is 200% or more in both directions,
A wearing article having a pair of leg openings and used in combination with an absorbent pad,
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 waist region located between an upper end of the leg openings and an upper end of the wearing article in the vertical direction;
having
In natural conditions,
a length of the crotch region in the left-right direction is 25% or more and 50% or less of a length of the worn article in the left-right direction in a natural state;
The length of the crotch region in the vertical direction is longer than the length of the waist region in the vertical direction,
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 2 or 3,
The wearing article, wherein in a natural state, upper ends of the leg openings are located higher in the vertical direction than a lower end of the wearing article at a central position in the horizontal direction.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
The stretch suppressing means extends in the vertical direction from the crotch region to the waist region.
The wearing article according to claim 5,
The waist region has an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad,
The stretch suppressing means and the engagement region have an overlapping portion in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 6,
The stretch suppressing means extends above an upper end of the engagement region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 6,
A wearing article, characterized in that a sheet member that is separate from the fabric is provided in the engagement region.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
A waist opening is provided at an upper end of the waist region,
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 article is characterized in that the stretch suppressing means and the low-stretch waist region have an overlapping portion in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
The stretch suppressing means comprises a portion of the fabric that is treated to reduce stretchability of the fabric along the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
The stretch suppressing means is disposed at a center portion of the wearing article in the left-right direction.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
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 between the crotch seam and the stretch suppressing means.
The wearing article according to claim 12,
a pair of leg openings each having a serged portion along a periphery thereof;
A wearing article comprising an intersecting portion of the crotch seam and the overlock seam.
The wearing article according to claim 12,
The crotch seam is disposed at a lower end of the crotch region in the vertical direction.
The wearing article according to claim 4,
a pair of both side stretch suppressing means, each having a predetermined length in the up-down direction, provided on both sides in the left-right direction of the stretch suppressing means.
The wearing article according to claim 15,
a pair of leg openings each having a serged portion along a periphery thereof;
A wearing article characterized in that it has a portion where the side stretch suppressing means and the overlocking portion intersect.
The wearing article according to claim 15,
a front-rear direction intersecting the up-down direction and the left-right direction,
The wearing article, characterized in that the side stretch suppressing means are provided on both the front and rear sides in the front-to-rear direction.
The wearing article according to claim 15,
The waist region has an engagement region for engaging with the absorbent pad,
The side stretch suppressing means is disposed outside the engagement area in the left-right direction.
The wearing article according to claim 15,
The wearing article, wherein a width of the side stretch suppressing means in the left-right direction is narrower than a width of the stretch suppressing means in the left-right direction.
The wearing article according to claim 15,
The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein in a natural state, the side stretch suppressing means are disposed outside a center position of the leg openings in the left-right direction.