Absorbent body and device for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016250083-A1
Application number	US-201415033445-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 14, 2013
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An absorbent body forming satisfactory connections while webs are conveyed at a high speed includes at least two sheets of nonwoven fabric overlapping each other; connections at which the nonwoven fabric sheets are connected together; and an absorbent material disposed between the nonwoven fabric sheets at a small region encircled by the connections. When seen in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheets, a plurality of the connections is formed with spaces therebetween on each side of imaginary polygons compartmentalizing the nonwoven fabric sheets and neighboring each other, and the connection is formed at least on a middle part of the sides common to the imaginary polygons neighboring each other. The connections are formed sequentially, and simultaneously arranged in a row parallel to each other, and the minimum number of connections per row is at least 45% of the maximum number of connections per row.

First claim

1 . An absorbent body comprising:
at least two sheets of nonwoven fabric overlaid with each other; connections for connecting together the nonwoven fabric sheets; and an absorbent material that is disposed in a small region encircled by the connections between the nonwoven fabric sheets, wherein as for the connections, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheet, a plurality of the connections are formed with spaces therebetween on each of sides of imaginary polygons that compartmentalize the nonwoven fabric sheet and that arc adjacent to each other, wherein the connections is arranged at least on a middle part of the side common to the imaginary polygons adjacent to each other, and wherein: the connections are formed sequentially; the connections formed simultaneously are arranged in a row; a plurality of the rows of the connections formed at different times are parallel to each other; and a minimum number of the connections per one of the rows is equal to or greater than 45% of a maximum number of the connections per one of the rows.

2 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , wherein at least three connections are formed on each of the sides of the imaginary polygon.

3 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , wherein all interior angles of the imaginary polygon are 90 degrees or larger.

4 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , wherein when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheet, the connection has an acute portion protruding parallel to or substantially parallel to a direction in which the side of the imaginary polygon extends.

5 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , wherein as for a pair of end regions, each of which contains the small regions encircled by the connections and which is adjacent to an outer periphery of the nonwoven fabric sheet on each of both sides in a direction at right angles to the rows of the connections, and a middle region which contains the small regions between the pair of end regions, the absorbent material is not disposed in the small region contained in the end region, or an amount of the absorbent material disposed in the small region contained in the end region is substantially smaller than an amount of the absorbent material disposed in the small region contained in the middle region.

6 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , wherein:
a shape of the nonwoven fabric sheet is a rectangle having a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides; and the connections formed simultaneously are arranged in the row parallel to the pair of short sides.

7 . The absorbent body according to claim 1 , further comprising
plural rows of outer peripheral connections which, when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheet, are arranged with spaces therebetween in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the nonwoven fabric sheet along the outer periphery of the nonwoven fabric sheet and which are adjacent to each other in a direction perpendicular to the outer periphery of the nonwoven fabric sheet, wherein when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the outer periphery of the nonwoven fabric sheet and parallel to the main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheet, the outer peripheral connections in the plural rows overlap with each other.

8 . An absorbent body producing device comprising:
a rotating roll having an outer peripheral surface in which protrusions are formed; and an opposing member arranged adjacent to the rotating roll and facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll so as to supply ultrasonic vibration or heat, in which when a first and a second web being at least two sheets of nonwoven fabric pass through between the opposing member and the rotating roll in a state that the first and the second web are overlaid with each other and that an absorbent material is inserted between the first and the second web, with the opposing member urging the webs toward the protrusions, the opposing member supplies the ultrasonic vibration or heat to the webs so that connections at which the webs are connected together are formed in correspondence to the protrusions, wherein: as for the protrusions, a plurality of the protrusions are formed with spaces therebetween on each of sides of imaginary polygons that compartmentalize the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll and that are adjacent to each other; the protrusion is formed at least on a middle part of the side common to the imaginary polygons adjacent to each other; and the protrusions are arranged in a plurality of rows parallel to a rotational center axis of the rotating roll, and a minimum number of the protrusions per one of the rows is equal to or greater than 45% of a maximum number of the protrusions per one of the rows.

9 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , wherein at least three connections are formed on each of the sides of the imaginary polygon.

10 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , wherein within the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll, in a mesh-like portion containing the side of the imaginary polygon and extending in a mesh-like shape along the side, the protrusions are formed that protrude from the mesh-like portion to an outer side in a radial direction of the rotating roll, and
wherein within the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll, in an inner portion surrounded by the mesh-like portion, a recess is formed that retreats to an inner side in the radial direction of the rotating roll relative to the mesh-like portion.

11 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , wherein all interior angles of the imaginary polygon are 90 degrees or larger.

12 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , wherein the protrusion has an acute portion protruding parallel to or substantially parallel to a direction in which the side of the imaginary polygon extends.

13 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , further comprising
plural rows of outer peripheral protrusions that are formed on one side or both sides of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll in a direction parallel to the rotational center axis of the rotating roll relative to a region where the protrusions are formed, and that are arranged with spaces therebetween in a plurality of rows in a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction parallel to the rotational center axis of the rotating roll, wherein when viewed in the direction parallel to the rotational center axis, the rows of outer peripheral protrusions overlap with each other and are continuous to each other.

14 . The absorbent body producing device according to claim 8 , further comprising
an absorbent material supply unit arranged adjacent to the rotating roll and opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll, wherein the absorbent material supply unit supplies the absorbent material to at least one of the first and the second web that are arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll and move together with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roll in association with rotation of the rotating roll, in a manner that supply of the absorbent material is suspended with a fixed period for a portion facing at least three rows of the imaginary polygons arranged in the direction parallel to the rotational center axis of the rotating roll.

Assignees

• Zuiko Corp

Inventors

• Tsujimoto Yoshio

Classifications

• B29C66/7294

  Non woven mats, e.g. felt · CPC title

• A61F13/15723

  Partitioning batts; Cutting · CPC title

• B29C66/234

  said joint lines being in the form of tessellations · CPC title

• A61F2013/530562

  being arranged in discontinuous pattern · CPC title

• B29L2007/00

  Flat articles, e.g. films or sheets (B29L2024/00 takes precedence) · CPC title