Disposable diaper

• US 5,766,212 A
• Filed: 05/14/1997
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Suekane, Makoto, Jitoe, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Clarke, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, John M.
• Application Number:
  US08/855,666
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 604/359, 604/360, 604/361
• US Class Current: 604/361
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm

Abstract

A disposable diaper includes a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core therebetween. The backsheet is made of an air-permeable but liquid-impermeable plastic film having a surface thereof whitened by fine particles of an inorganic substance contained therein. An indicator 18 provided between the backsheet and the absorbent core. The indicator includes a layer of printed ink adapted to be visually revealed when it is wetted with discharged urine and a masking region disposed between the layer of printing ink and the backsheet so as to cover the layer of printed ink, and the masking region contains a surfactant.

Claims

1. A disposable diaper having a front waist region and a rear waist region, said disposable diaper comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets, and an indicator provided on one of front and rear waist regions so as to be visually revealed when the indicator is wetted with discharged body fluids and thereby to make discharge of body fluids visually recognizable through said backsheet, said disposable diaper being characterized by that:

said backsheet is made of an air-permeable but liquid-impermeable oriented plastic film containing fine particles of an inorganic substance;

said indicator comprises a layer of ink disposed between said backsheet and said absorbent core so as to be visually revealed when said layer of ink is wetted with discharged body fluids and an ink covering layer disposed between said backsheet and said layer of ink in tightly contact with said layer of ink so as to cover said layer of ink; and

said ink covering layer contains a surfactant.

2. A disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said ink covering layer is made of a paper sheet containing said surfactant.

3. A disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said covering layer comprises said paper sheet and a second layer of ink applied onto a surface of said paper sheet facing said backsheet and containing said surfactant.

4. A disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said layer of ink is defined by a tissue paper forming a part of said absorbent core and said ink covering layer is defined by the second layer of ink applied onto said tissue paper so as to cover said layer of ink from above.

5. A disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said ink covering layer is bonded to an inner surface of said backsheet.

6. A disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said backsheet is made of an air-permeable but liquid-impermeable oriented plastic film containing fine particles of titanium oxide, calcium carbonate or barium sulfate.