Absorbent article with compressed grooves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9492331-B2
Application number	US-201113818818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2011
Priority date	Sep 1, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article that can further reduce leakage of body fluid from an end portion in a longitudinal direction. An elongated shaped absorbent article includes: a top sheet that has a skin contacting surface; a back sheet; and an absorbent core that is disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, in which a compressed groove is formed on the skin contacting surface; the skin contacting surface has an excretory contact region, a front region, and a rear region; the compressed groove has a pair of first central grooves and a first circular groove that is provided in at least any one of the front region and the rear region; and the first circular groove is arranged at a position overlapping a vertical center line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elongated absorbent article, comprising:
a liquid permeable top sheet that is disposed on a wearer's skin side and has a skin contacting surface;
a liquid impermeable back sheet that is disposed on an underwear side; and
a liquid absorptive absorbent core that is disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet,

wherein
a compressed groove is formed in the absorbent core and on the skin contacting surface,
the skin contacting surface has
an excretory contact region that is positioned in a substantially central portion of the absorbent article in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and is configured to be in contact with a vicinity of the excretory part of the wearer,
a front region that is positioned in front of the excretory contact region, and
a rear region that is positioned in rear of the excretory contact region,

the compressed groove has
a pair of first central grooves arranged along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article respectively on two side portions of the excretory contact region, wherein the first central grooves are symmetrical with respect to each other across a vertical center line which is a symmetrical axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,
a pair of second central grooves spaced apart from the first central grooves, wherein one of the second central grooves is arranged in a vicinity of a borderline between the excretory contact region and the front region, and the other of the second central grooves is arranged in a vicinity of a borderline between the excretory contact region and the rear region,
a pair of first grooves, one of the first grooves being provided in the front region and the other of the first grooves being provided in the rear region,
a pair of second grooves, one of the second grooves being provided in the front region and the other of the second grooves being provided in the rear region, and
a pair of outer grooves, one of the outer grooves being provided in the front region and the other one of the outer grooves being provided in the rear region,

in each of the front region and the rear region,
the outer groove is arranged on an outer side of the first groove and the second groove, and spaced apart from the first groove and the second groove,
the first groove is spaced apart from both the pair of first central grooves and the pair of second central grooves,
the second groove is spaced apart from both the pair of first central grooves and the pair of second central grooves,
the first groove is formed in a heart shape disposed disproportionately to a first side in the width direction with respect to the vertical center line, and has a first bent point projecting inward of the heart shape and a second bent point projecting outward of the heart shape,
the second bent point is arranged at a position overlapping the vertical center line,
the first bent point is arranged at a position which does not overlap the vertical center line,
the second groove is disposed disproportionately to a second side in the width direction with respect to the vertical center line, a pattern of the second groove is smaller than the heart shape of the first groove and does not overlap the vertical center line, the second side opposite the first side in the width direction, and
the first groove is spaced apart from the second groove,

the first grooves and the second grooves are smaller in width than the first central grooves, the outer grooves, and the second central grooves,
the compressed groove includes
low compression regions where the absorbent core is compressed with a first predetermined pressure, and
high compression regions where the absorbent core is compressed with a second predetermined pressure greater than the first predetermined pressure, and

an area of each of the high compression regions in the first grooves and the second grooves is smaller than an area of each of the high compression regions in the first central grooves, the outer grooves and the second central grooves.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein each of the outer grooves is continuous to the pair of first central grooves.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein in each of the front region and the rear region, the second groove is formed in a heart shape smaller than the heart shape of the first groove.

4. The absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein, in the compressed groove, a pattern of each of the high compression regions in the first grooves and the second grooves is different from a pattern of each of the high compression regions in the first central grooves, the outer grooves and the second central grooves.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 2 , wherein a greatest dimension of the heart shape of the first groove in the width direction is 25 to 90% of a greatest dimension of a region surrounded by the outer groove in the width direction.

6. The absorbent article according to claim 2 , wherein a greatest dimension of the heart shape of the first groove in the width direction is 50 to 90% of a greatest dimension of a region surrounded by the outer groove in the width direction.

7. An elongated shaped absorbent article, comprising:
a liquid permeable top sheet that is disposed on a wearer's skin side and has a skin contacting surface;

a liquid impermeable back sheet that is disposed on an underwear side; and
a liquid absorptive absorbent core that is disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet,
wherein
a compressed groove is formed in the absorbent core and on the skin contacting surface;
the skin contacting surface has
an excretory contact region that is positioned in a substantially central portion of the absorbent article in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and is configured to be in contact with a vicinity of the excretory part of the wearer,
a front region that is positioned in front of the excretory contact region, and
a rear region that is positioned in rear of the excretory contact region;
the compressed groove has
a pair of first central grooves arranged along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article respectively on two side portions of the excretory contact region, wherein the first central grooves are symmetrical with respect to each other across a vertical center line which is a symmetrical axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,
a pair of first grooves, one of the first grooves being provided in the front region and the other of the first grooves being provided in the rear region, and
a pair of outer grooves, one of the outer grooves being provided in the front region and the other of the outer grooves being provided in the rear region,
in each of the front region and the rear region,
the outer groove is on an outer side of the first groove, and spaced apart from the first groove,
the first groove is spaced apart from the pair of first central grooves,
the first groove is formed in a heart shape disposed disproportionately to a first side in the width direction with respect to the vertical center line, and has a first bent point projecting inward of the heart shape and a second bent point projecting outward of the heart shape,
the second bent point is arranged at a position overlapping the vertical center line, the first bent point is arranged at a position which does not overlap the vertical center line,
the first grooves are smaller in width than the first central grooves and the outer grooves,
wherein the compressed groove includes
low compression regions where the absorbent core is compressed with a first predetermined pressure, and
high compression regions where the absorbent

Assignees

• Uematsu Katsuhiro
• Cao Quing
• Ito Yukihiro
• Harada Hiroyuki
• Nishitani Kazuya
• Unicharm Corp

Inventors

• Uematsu Katsuhiro
• Cao Quing
• Ito Yukihiro
• Harada Hiroyuki
• Nishitani Kazuya

Classifications

• A61F13/4758 Primary

  the means preventing fluid flow in a longitudinal direction · CPC title

• A61F13/4756

  the means consisting of grooves, e.g. channels, depressions or embossments, resulting in a heterogeneous surface level · CPC title