Stretchable structure for absorbent article and disposable diaper pants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018042788-A1
Application number	US-201615555854-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Feb 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A stretchable structure of an absorbent article includes two sheet layers that extend in a stretchable direction and an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the stretchable direction; and elongated resilient and elastic members that are disposed between the sheet layers at predetermined intervals in the orthogonal direction and extend in the stretchable direction, wherein, the two ends in the stretchable direction of each of the resilient and elastic members comprise fixed ends fixed to the two sheet layers, and the section between the fixed ends comprises a free section unfixed to the two sheet layers, at least one sheet bonding section is disposed in at least one inter-free region defined between the free sections adjacent to each other in the orthogonal direction, the two sheet layers being bonded in the at least one inter-free region, and the two sheet layers in a contracted state conform with each other in a wave pattern in response to contraction of the resilient and elastic members.

First claim

1 . A stretchable structure of an absorbent article, comprising:
two sheet layers that extend in a stretchable direction and an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the stretchable direction; and a plurality of elongated resilient and elastic members extending in the stretchable direction disposed at intervals in the orthogonal direction between the two sheet layers, wherein, the resilient and elastic members each have two fixed ends fixed to the two sheet layers in the stretchable direction, and a free section between the fixed ends, the free sections being unfixed to the two sheet layers, two adjacent free sections in the orthogonal direction define an inter-free region including at least one sheet bonding section, the two sheet layers being bonded at the at least one sheet bonding section, and when the two sheet layers are in a contracted state accompanied by contraction of the resilient and elastic members and conform to each other in a wave pattern.

2 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 1 , wherein,
the at least one sheet bonding section comprises multiple sheet bonding sections disposed in the inter-free region at intervals in the stretchable direction and the orthogonal direction, and the area rate of the sheet bonding sections gradually decreases toward the sides of the inter-free region in the orthogonal direction.

3 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 2 , wherein,
the inter-free region comprises three portions having equal widths in the orthogonal direction in an unfolded state, the three portions comprising a central portion and two side portions positioned on the two sides of the central portion in the orthogonal direction, and the area rate of the sheet bonding sections in the side portions is 20% or less of the area rate of the sheet bonding sections in the central portion.

4 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 1 , wherein,
the resilient and elastic members comprise three or more resilient and elastic members disposed at intervals in the orthogonal direction, the resilient and elastic members defining multiple inter-free regions therebetween in the orthogonal direction, and the inter-free regions each include the sheet bonding sections intermittently disposed in the stretchable direction, a partial or entire group of the sheet bonding sections disposed in two adjacent inter-free regions in the orthogonal direction is substantially continuous along the stretchable direction.

5 . A stretchable structure of an absorbent article, comprising:
two sheet layers that extend in a stretchable direction and an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the stretchable direction; and elongated resilient and elastic members extending in the stretchable direction disposed at intervals in the orthogonal direction between the two sheet layers, wherein, the resilient and elastic members each have two fixed ends fixed to the two sheet layers in the stretchable direction, and a free section between the fixed ends, the free sections being unfixed to the two sheet layers, two adjacent free sections in the orthogonal direction define an inter-free region including at least one sheet bonding section, the two sheet layers being bonded at the at least one sheet bonding section, and in the inter-free regions, the sheet bonding sections are substantially continuous along the stretchable direction.

6 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 5 , wherein the sheet bonding sections in the inter-free regions are disposed to define multiple arrays extending in the stretchable direction, the multiple arrays are disposed at intervals in the orthogonal direction, sheet bonding sections in each first array of the multiple arrays and sheet bonding sections in a second array adjacent to the first array of the multiple arrays are disposed in a staggered pattern in the orthogonal direction, and an overlapping width in the stretchable direction of the sheet bonding sections in the first and second arrays is larger than an interval between the bonding sections in the first and second arrays in the orthogonal direction.

7 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 6 , wherein,
in the stretchable direction, the sheet bonding sections have a maximum length within a range of 0.5 to 5.0 mm, in the stretchable direction, the sheet bonding sections in each array have an interval 0.1 to 0.9 times the maximum length of each of the sheet bonding sections in the stretchable direction, and the overlapping width in the stretchable direction of the sheet bonding sections in the first and second arrays of the multiple arrays is 0.2 times or more the interval in the orthogonal direction of the sheet bonding sections in the first and second arrays.

8 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 6 , wherein the sheet bonding sections in the multiple arrays are disposed such that portions of the sheet bonding sections in each first array of the multiple arrays in the orthogonal direction overlap with portions of the sheet bonding sections in a second array adjacent to the first array in the orthogonal direction.

9 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 1 , wherein the two sheet layers have a bending resistance in the stretchable direction higher than the bending resistance in the orthogonal direction.

10 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 1 , wherein, in an unfolded state, unbonded regions free from the sheet bonding sections are continuously disposed in the width direction on at least the two sides of the respective inter-free regions in the orthogonal direction, the unbonded regions being disposed over the entire width of the respective inter-free regions.

11 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 10 , wherein each of the unbonded regions has a length within a range of 4 to 20 mm in the orthogonal direction.

12 . The stretchable structure of an absorbent article, according to claim 1 , wherein
the resilient and elastic members comprises three or more resilient and elastic members disposed at intervals in the orthogonal direction, the resilient and elastic members defining multiple inter-free regions therebetween in the orthogonal direction, and
the inter-free regions each include the sheet bonding sections.

13 . An underpants-type disposable diaper comprising:
an outer member comprising a front body and a back body; and an inner member disposed on the inner face of the outer member and comprising an absorber, wherein, side seal portions provided by bonding the two side edges of the outer member of the front body and the respective side edges of the outer member of the back body constitute an annular waist portion, a waist opening, and left and right leg openings, and the stretchable structure of the absorbent article according to claim 1 is disposed in an area of the outer member including at least the two exteriors of the inner member in the width direction, such that the stretchable direction of the stretchable structure is aligned with the width direction.

14 . An underpants-type disposable diaper comprising:
an outer member comprising a front body and a back body which are separated or integrated; and an inner member comprising an absorber, the inner member disposed in a lateral intermediate portion extending from the inner face of the outer member of the front body to the inner face of the outer member of the back body, wherein, the two side edges of

Assignees

• Daio Seishi Kk

Inventors

• Kurohara Takeshi
• Obata Masayo
• Manabe Sadanao
• Hayashi Akifumi
• Mori Yosuke

Classifications

• A61F13/49011 Primary

  the elastic means is located at the waist region · CPC title

• A61F13/49

  specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers, nappies · CPC title

• A61F13/4902

  characterised by the elastic material · CPC title

• A61F2013/49053

  being stretchable in the longitudinal direction or machine direction, i.e. longitudinal · CPC title

• A61F13/5655

  adjustable pants type diapers (adjustable otherwise than by the fasteners A61F13/493) · CPC title