Disposable diaper

• US 5,947,949 A
• Filed: 08/04/1997
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Yasushi, Sayama, Yasushi, Fujino, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REICHLE, KARIN M
• Application Number:
  US08/905,342
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.1, 604/385.2, 604/387
• US Class Current: 604/385.08
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4942 the barrier not being integral with the top- or back-sheet

Abstract

A disposable diaper includes a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core therebetween. A pair of contractible leg-gasket cuffs extend outward beyond transversely opposite side edges of the absorbent core and a pair of contractible barrier cuffs extend adjacent the side edges of the absorbent core and are biased to rise from an upper surface of the top sheet above the absorbent core. Each of the barrier cuffs is made of a nonwoven fabric and each of the leg-gasket cuffs is formed with a portion of the nonwoven fabric extending outward and a portion of the backsheet extending outward beyond the side edge of the absorbent core and bonded onto the extending portion of the nonwoven fabric. A reinforcing sheet is bonded to an upper surface of each of the leg-gasket cuffs along its outer side edge in order to enhance a tensile strength of the leg-gasket cuff. The reinforcing sheet is made of a nonwoven fabric.

Claims

1. A disposable diaper comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed therebetween which form a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending therebetween, a pair of leg-gasket cuffs extending outward beyond transversely opposite side edges of said absorbent core in at least said crotch region so as to have an elastic stretchability in a longitudinal direction of the diaper, and a pair of barrier cuffs extending in said longitudinal direction adjacent said side edges of said absorbent core and normally biased to rise from an upper surface of said topsheet, wherein:

transversely opposite side edges of said topsheet lie adjacent said transversely opposite side edges of said absorbent core,

transversely opposite side edges of said backsheet extend outward beyond said transversely opposite side edges of said absorbent core and lie outboard of said side edges of said topsheet, respectively,

each of said barrier cuffs is made of an air-permeable nonwoven fabric and has a distal edge lying adjacent the associated side edge of said absorbent core and a proximal portion lying outboard of said distal edge and bonded to the upper surface of said topsheet,

said nonwoven fabric extends outward beyond said proximal portion so as to form one of said leg-gasket cuffs having a lower surface thereof adjacent said proximal portion bonded to an upper surface of said backsheet along the associated side edge of said core,

each of said leg-gasket cuffs is provided along an outer side edge thereof spaced apart from the associated proximal portion of said barrier cuff with a reinforcing sheet which both extends above and is bonded to an upper surface of each of said leg gasket cuffs to enhance a tensile strength of each of said leg-gasket cuffs, and p1 in a region defined between said proximal portion of each of said barrier cuffs and an inner side edge of each of said reinforcing sheets, elastically stretchable members are disposed between said leg-gasket cuff and said backsheet and bonded to at least one of said leg-gasket cuff along said lower surface thereof or said backsheet along said upper surface thereof in a longitudinally stretched conditions thereof so as to provide said leg-gasket cuff with said elastic stretchability.

2. The disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said nonwoven fabric is air-permeable but liquid-impermeable.

3. The disposable diaper according to claim 2, wherein said nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 5-50 g/m².

4. The disposable diaper according claim 1, wherein said reinforcing sheet is made of a nonwoven fabric which is air-permeable but liquid-impermeable.

5. The disposable diaper according to claim 4, wherein said nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 20-150 g/m².