Disposable absorbent article

• US 20060184146A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Livedo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Livedo Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Taichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,767,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/358
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/535 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad, e.g. core absorbent layers being of different sizes A61F13/5323, A61F13/537 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49082 being a complex shape not covered by the other groups A61F2013/49068-A61F2013/4908
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530532 the maximum being at certain depth in the thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530547 positioned in a separate layer or layers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/5307 characterized by the quantity or ratio of superabsorbent material

Abstract

A disposable absorbent article includes an absorbent mat between a liquid-permeable top sheet and a liquid-impermeable back sheet. The absorbent mat includes a sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer that contains a water-absorbent resin powder but that does not contain pulp fibers; and a fiber assembly layer that contains a water-absorbent resin powder and pulp fibers in this order from a top sheet side. The sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer includes a plurality of water-absorbent resin presence regions in each of which the water-absorbent resin powder is wrapped; and a plurality of water-absorbent resin powder absence regions each being formed between the two adjacent water-absorbent resin powder presence regions.

Claims

1. A disposable absorbent article comprising an absorbent mat between a liquid-permeable top sheet and a liquid-impermeable back sheet, wherein:

the absorbent mat includes a sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer that contains a water-absorbent resin powder but that does not contain pulp fibers; and

a fiber assembly layer that contains a water-absorbent resin powder and pulp fibers in this order from a top sheet side; and

the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer includes a plurality of water-absorbent resin presence regions in each of which the water-absorbent resin powder is wrapped; and

a plurality of water-absorbent resin powder absence regions each being formed between the two adjacent water-absorbent resin powder presence regions.

2. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbent resin powder contained in the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer is wrapped in a plurality of nonwoven fabrics.

3. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the nonwoven fabrics of the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer are molten and attached to one another in the water-absorbent resin powder absence region.

4. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein two or more of the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layers are stacked so that the-water-absorbent resin powder presence regions of each of the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layers substantially overlap with each other in a thickness direction.

5. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the nonwoven fabrics of the sheet-shaped water-absorbent layer have a rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction and a width direction, and the water-absorbent resin powder presence regions are present to be continuous in the longitudinal direction of the nonwoven fabrics and to be two or more separated by the water-absorbent resin powder absence region in the width direction of the nonwoven fabrics.

6. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the fiber assembly layer is formed of an upper fiber assembly and a lower fiber assembly, at least one opening is provided in the upper fiber assembly, and the fiber assembly layer is formed so that the lower fiber assembly is always present below the opening.

7. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein the opening is provided in a portion other than a central portion of the upper fiber assembly.

8. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein the opening extends continuously or intermittently in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article.

9. The disposable absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein the opening is present at a position laterally substantially symmetric about a center line of the upper fiber assembly in the longitudinal direction.