Disposable absorbent article

• US 5,846,231 A
• Filed: 08/15/1996
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaki, Rumi, Fujioka, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Polutta, Mark O.
• Application Number:
  US08/698,535
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 604/378-380, 604/358, 604/385.1
• US Class Current: 604/380
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/515 characterised by the interconnection of the topsheet and the backsheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/532 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15406 Basis weight

Abstract

A disposable absorbent article according to the invention comprises a liquid-absorbent core provided intermittently in longitudinal and transverse directions thereof with a plurality of linear slits extending therethrough extending longitudinally of the article and thereby promote spread of body fluids.

Claims

1. A disposable absorbent article comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between and extending longitudinally of said topsheet and said backsheet,

wherein said core is provided intermittently in longitudinal and transverse directions thereof with a plurality of slits extending therethrough longitudinally of said article so that said topsheet and said backsheet are fixedly bonded to each other along said slits to form grooves extending along said slits, and

wherein said core contains a hydrophilic fibrous material and a density of said fibrous material contained in an interrupted region defined between at least one pair of adjacent ends of the longitudinally aligned slits is adjusted to be higher than a density of said fibrous material contained in side edge regions of said core extending along said slits in areas of said core located between transversely spaced slits.

2. The article as defined by claim 1, wherein said core contains hydrophilic fibrous material of at least 50% by weight.

3. The article as defined by claim 1, wherein the density of the fibrous material contained in said core is adjusted to be higher along the side edge regions having a width of at least 2 mm of each core section.

4. The article as defined by claim 3, wherein the density in each interrupted region is adjusted to be higher than the density in the side edge region of each said core section defined by each pair of said linear slits.

5. The article as defined by claim 1, wherein the density of the fibrous material contained in said core is adjusted to be higher along a side edge region of each slit, said side edge region having a width of at least 2 mm , than the density of the fibrous material in a remaining region of each core section located transversely between a transverse spaced Pair of said slits.

6. The article as defined by claim 5, wherein the density of the fibrous material contained in said core is adjusted to be progressively decreased from the side edge region of each slit core section to a middle of said core section defined between each pair of said slits.

7. The article as defined by claim 1, wherein said slits are linear and said grooves are linear.

8. A disposable absorbent article comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between and extending longitudinally of said topsheet and said backsheet,

wherein said core is provided intermittently in longitudinal and transverse directions thereof with a plurality of slits extending therethrough longitudinally of said article so that said topsheet and said backsheet are fixedly bonded to each other along said slits to form grooves extending along said slits, and

wherein said core contains a plurality of core sections having a hydrophilic fibrous material, a density of the fibrous material contained in said core progressively decreases from a side edge region of each said core section defined by each pair of said slits to a middle of said core section located between a transverse spaced pair of said slits.