STRETCHABLE NON-WOVEN FABRIC, ABSORBENT ARTICLE AND ABSORBENT ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20080139067A1
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sciessent, LLC
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Akiyoshi, Hashimoto, Tatsuya, Tomioka, Masaharu, Mukai, Hirotomo, Tsuji, Tomoko, Noma, Shinji, Goda, Hidefumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,754,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/328
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4902 characterised by the elastic material
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/42 characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/5418 Mixed fibres, e.g. at least two chemically different fibres or fibre blends
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/593 to layered webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/601 Nonwoven fabric has an elastic quality
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/602 Nonwoven fabric comprises an elastic strand or fiber material

Abstract

The present invention provides an absorbent article imparting superior comfort during wearing without inhibiting an absorbent property of an absorbent body, and a manufacturing method thereof. In the stretchable non-woven fabrics composed of a stretchable thermoplastic fiber and a heat-adhesive fiber having a lower melting point than that of the thermoplastic fiber which is arranged on a skin non-contacting side of a chassis, a low-stretchability portion is formed, in which the stretchability of the stretchable non-woven fabrics is lowered, at least in a portion thereof which overlaps an absorbent body in a thickness direction. The low-stretchability portion is formed by heating and pressurizing the portion of an elasticized non-woven fabric being extended.

Claims

1. A stretchable non-woven fabric comprising:

a stretchable thermoplastic fiber; and

a heat-adhesive fiber having a lower melting point than that of the stretchable thermoplastic fiber, having a low-stretchability region in a predetermined area

wherein a stretchability is lowered to less than that of a circumference thereof, by fusing at least the stretchable thermoplastic fiber in the predetermined area to each other.

2. The stretchable non-woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the low-stretchablity region is air-permeable.

3. A manufacturing method of a stretchable non-woven fabric having a region

wherein stretchability is lowered in portions thereof, comprising a process of lowering stretchability of a predetermined area in a stretchable non-woven fabric which includes a stretchable thermoplastic fiber and a heat-adhesive fiber having a lower melting point than that of the thermoplastic fiber,

wherein at least the thermoplastic fibers are fused to each other in the predetermined area.

4. The manufacturing method of a stretchable non-woven fabric according to claim 3,

wherein the process of lowering stretchability comprises an operation of extending the stretchable non-woven fabric before fusing the thermoplastic fiber to each other.

5. A manufacturing method of a stretchable composite sheet comprising:

a non-woven fabric extending process wherein a stretchable non-woven fabric which includes a stretchable thermoplastic fiber and a heat-adhesive fiber having a lower melting point than that of the thermoplastic fiber is stretched at a predetermined stretching rate selected from a range of 20 to 200%;

a composite sheet forming process wherein the non-woven fabric, which is extended in the non-woven fabric extending process, is adhesively laminated to a non-stretchable sheet to obtain the composite sheet; and

a process of lowering stretchability wherein stretchability of a predetermined area in the composite sheet is lowered to less than that of a circumference thereof, by fusing at least the thermoplastic fibers in the predetermined area to each other.

6. An absorbent article having a width direction and a lengthwise direction orthogonal to the width direction, comprising:

a front trunk region;

a rear trunk region;

a chassis with a crotch arranged between the front trunk region and the rear trunk region; and

an absorbent body arranged along the longitudinal direction wherein at least a portion thereof overlaps the chassis in a thickness direction,

wherein a stretchable non-woven fabric comprising a stretchable thermoplastic fiber and a heat-adhesive fiber having a lower melting point than that of the thermoplastic fiber is arranged in at least a portion of the chassis;

a low-stretchability region, having a lower stretchability than that of a circumference thereof, is formed in a predetermined region of the stretchable non-woven fabric, and

stretchability of a thermoplastic fiber in the low-stretchability region is inhibited by a fusion structure wherein the heat-adhesive fiber in the low-stretchability region is fused to each other.

7. The absorbent article according to claim 6,

wherein the low-stretchability region is formed substantially in a center in the width direction of the front trunk region and the rear trunk region, and overlaps in the thickness direction at least both side edges in the width direction of the absorbent body.

8. The absorbent article according to claim 6,

wherein the low-stretchablity region is air-permeable.

9. The absorbent article according to claim 7,

wherein the low-stretchablity region is air-permeable.