LIQUID-ABSORBENT STRUCTURE FOR WEARING ARTICLE

• US 20110208147A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Akahira, Ayako, Sakai, Akane, Kawakami, Yasuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,772,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5323 having absorbent material located in discrete regions, e.g. pockets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/533 having discontinuous areas of compression
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53051 being only in particular parts or specially arranged
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530562 being arranged in discontinuous pattern

Abstract

A liquid-absorbent structure configured to prevent a liquid-absorbent core material from being unevenly distributed and thereby to assure that bodily fluids can be smoothly absorbed by the liquid-absorbent structure. According to one embodiment the present invention provides a panty liner that includes a topsheet lying on a side facing the wearer'"'"'s body, a backsheet facing the wearer'"'"'s garment and a liquid-absorbent structure sandwiched between these sheets. A first inner surface of a first sheet forming the liquid-absorbent structure is coated with adhesives to form a plurality of first bonding regions and a second inner surface of a second sheet is coated with adhesives to form a plurality of second bonding regions. Each of the first non-bonding regions lies between each pair of the first bonding regions, and each of the second non-bonding regions lies between each pair of the second bonding regions. The first inner surface and the second inner surface face each other, the first bonding regions face the second non-bonding regions via the liquid-absorbent core material, and the second bonding regions face the first non-bonding regions via the liquid-absorbent core material.

Claims

1. A liquid-absorbent structure for a wearing article having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, the liquid-absorbent structure comprising;

a first sheet;

a second sheet opposed to said first sheet; and

a liquid-absorbent core material sandwiched between said first and second sheets, wherein

at least one of said first and second sheets is liquid-pervious;

said first sheet has a first inner surface facing said liquid-absorbent core material and a first outer surface opposed to said first inner surface and said second sheet has a second inner surface facing said liquid-absorbent core material and a second outer surface opposed to said second inner surface;

said first inner surface and said second inner surface respectively comprise first and second bonding regions respectively formed with bonding means used to bond said liquid-absorbent core material to said first and second inner surfaces, and further comprise first and second non-bonding regions having no bonding means; and

said first bonding regions face at least said second non-bonding regions, and said second bonding regions face at least said first non-bonding regions.

2. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 1, wherein a plurality of said first and second bonding regions extend in said longitudinal direction and are spaced one from another in said transverse direction so that each of said first non-bonding regions lies between each pair of said first bonding regions, and each of said second non-bonding regions lies between each pair of said second bonding regions.

3. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 1, wherein said first non-bonding regions respectively have a length dimension in said transverse direction larger than that of respective said second bonding regions facing said first non-bonding regions, and said second non-bonding regions respectively have a length in said transverse direction larger than that of said first bonding regions facing said first bonding regions.

4. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 1, wherein

said first sheet lies on a side facing the wearer'"'"'s body and said second sheet lies on a side opposed to said side facing said wearer'"'"'s body;

and

said first and second sheets respectively have first side edges and second side edges extending in said longitudinal direction in such a manner that said second side edges extend outward beyond said first side edges in said transverse direction and portions of said second sheet extending beyond said first side edges are folded back along said first side edges onto said first outer surface and bonded to said first outer surface.

5. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 1, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

6. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 1, wherein

said second sheet is additionally formed on said second outer surface with a high density liquid-absorbent structure;

said first and second sheets are liquid-pervious;

said high density liquid-absorbent structure comprises liquid-absorbent core material and a wrapping sheet used to wrap said liquid-absorbent core material, said high density liquid-absorbent structure being at least partially formed with high density regions having a density higher than that in the remaining region of said liquid-absorbent core material.

7. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 6, wherein said high density regions in said high density liquid-absorbent structure overlap at least one of said first and second non-bonding regions.

8. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 2, wherein said first non-bonding regions respectively have a length dimension in said transverse direction larger than that of respective said second bonding regions facing said first non-bonding regions, and said second non-bonding regions respectively have a length in said transverse direction larger than that of said first bonding regions facing said first bonding regions.

9. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 2, wherein

said first sheet lies on a side facing the wearer'"'"'s body and said second sheet lies on a side opposed to said side facing said wearer'"'"'s body;

and

said first and second sheets respectively have first side edges and second side edges extending in said longitudinal direction in such a manner that said second side edges extend outward beyond said first side edges in said transverse direction and portions of said second sheet extending beyond said first side edges are folded back along said first side edges onto said first outer surface and bonded to said first outer surface.

10. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 3, wherein

said first sheet lies on a side facing the wearer'"'"'s body and said second sheet lies on a side opposed to said side facing said wearer'"'"'s body;

and

said first and second sheets respectively have first side edges and second side edges extending in said longitudinal direction in such a manner that said second side edges extend outward beyond said first side edges in said transverse direction and portions of said second sheet extending beyond said first side edges are folded back along said first side edges onto said first outer surface and bonded to said first outer surface.

11. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 8, wherein

said first sheet lies on a side facing the wearer'"'"'s body and said second sheet lies on a side opposed to said side facing said wearer'"'"'s body;

and

said first and second sheets respectively have first side edges and second side edges extending in said longitudinal direction in such a manner that said second side edges extend outward beyond said first side edges in said transverse direction and portions of said second sheet extending beyond said first side edges are folded back along said first side edges onto said first outer surface and bonded to said first outer surface.

12. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 2, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

13. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 3, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

14. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 4, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

15. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 8, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

16. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 9, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

17. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 10, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

18. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 11, wherein said liquid-absorbent core material comprises at least absorbent polymer particles.

19. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 2, wherein

said second sheet is additionally formed on said second outer surface with a high density liquid-absorbent structure;

said first and second sheets are liquid-pervious;

said high density liquid-absorbent structure comprises liquid-absorbent core material and a wrapping sheet used to wrap said liquid-absorbent core material, said high density liquid-absorbent structure being at least partially formed with high density regions having a density higher than that in the remaining region of said liquid-absorbent core material.

20. The liquid-absorbent structure defined by claim 3, wherein

said second sheet is additionally formed on said second outer surface with a high density liquid-absorbent structure;

said first and second sheets are liquid-pervious;

said high density liquid-absorbent structure comprises liquid-absorbent core material and a wrapping sheet used to wrap said liquid-absorbent core material, said high density liquid-absorbent structure being at least partially formed with high density regions having a density higher than that in the remaining region of said liquid-absorbent core material.