Disposable absorbent pad

• US 5,607,416 A
• Filed: 10/12/1994
• Issued: 03/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Kitaoka, Hideaki, Yamaki, Rumi, Yamamoto, Masamitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SNOW, BRUCE EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US08/321,953
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.1, 604/385.2, 604/393-394, 604/396-397, 604/400-402
• US Class Current: 604/397
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49 Absorbent articles specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49011 the elastic means is located at the waist region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49413 the edge leakage prevention means being an upstanding barrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/64 Straps, belts, ties or endless bands A61F13/5605, A61F13/5622, A61F13/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49028 with different tensile stress

Abstract

A disposable absorbent pad comprising a pad member adapted to present a boat-shape under the contractile force of elastic members contained in side flaps, and an elastic support member; longitudinally opposite of the pad member are connected to front and rear sides of the support member by end flaps each comprising top-and backsheets of the pad member and divided in a pair of end flap halves by a slit so as to function as a suspending strap; and the end flap halves are set apart in a V-shape with the slit therebetween as the support member is stretched and contribute to suspend the pad member with high stability.

Claims

1. A disposable absorbent pad comprising:

a pad member for being placed at least in the wearer'"'"'s crotch, said pad member comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core sandwiched between said topsheet and said backsheet;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond longitudinally opposite ends of said core to form end flaps, said end flaps being formed with slits bisecting and extending to the longitudinally opposite ends thereof;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond transversely opposite side edges of said core to form side flaps, said side flaps are provided with longitudinally stretchable elastic members attached in their stretched states to said side flaps, a portion of each said side flaps is partially folded inwards with said elastic members being held in their stretched states and bonded together at longitudinally opposite ends of these folded portions;

said folded portions being further partially folded outwards; and

a support member for being placed at least around the wearer'"'"'s waist and connected to the longitudinally opposite ends of said end flaps, the support member being elastically stretchable, the end flaps being disposed immediately adjacent one another when the support member is in the unstretched state and being spread apart from one another to form a "V" when the support member is in the stretched shape.

2. A disposable absorbent pad comprising:

a pad member for being placed at least in the wearer'"'"'s crotch, said pad member comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core sandwiched between said topsheet and said backsheet;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond longitudinally opposite ends of said core to form end flaps, said end flaps being formed with slits bisecting and extending to the longitudinally opposite ends thereof;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond transversely opposite side edges of said core to form side flaps, said side flaps are provided with longitudinally stretchable elastic members attached in their stretched states to said side flaps, said side flaps are partially folded inwards with said elastic members being held in their stretched states and bonded together at longitudinally opposite ends of these folded portions; and

a support member for being placed at least around the wearer'"'"'s waist and connected to the longitudinally opposite ends of said end flaps, the support member being elastically stretchable, the end flaps being disposed immediately adjacent one another when the support member is in the unstretched state and being spread apart from one another to form a "V" when the support member is in the stretched shape;

wherein said elastic members are arranged so as to extend further into said end flaps and thereby said end flaps are also provided with a longitudinal stretchability.

3. A disposable absorbent pad, comprising:

a pad member adapted to be placed at least in the wearer'"'"'s crotch, said pad member including a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core sandwiched between said topsheet and said backsheet;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond longitudinally opposite ends of said core to form end flaps, said end flaps being formed with slits substantially bisecting and extending to the longitudinally opposite ends thereof;

said topsheet and said backsheet extending outwardly beyond transversely opposite side edges of said core to form side flaps, said side flaps are provided with longitudinally stretchable elastic members attached in their stretched states to said side flaps, said side flaps are partially folded inwards with said elastic members being held in their stretched states and bonded together at longitudinally opposite ends of these folded portions; and

a support member for being placed at least around the wearer'"'"'s waist and connected to the longitudinally opposite ends of said end flaps, the support member being elastically stretchable, the end flaps being disposed immediately adjacent one another when the support member is in the unstretched state and being spread apart from one another to form a "V" when the support member is in the stretched shape;

wherein said elastic members include an elastic member extending adjacent the outermost edge of said inwardly folded portion of each side flap and an elastic member disposed inwardly therefrom, said elastic member extending adjacent the outermost edge of said inwardly folded portion of each side flap has a stretching stress higher than that of said other elastic member.