Foldable disposable diaper

• US 6,050,984 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Ono, Yoshio, Yamaki, Rumi, Fujioka, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REICHLE, KARIN M
• Application Number:
  US08/902,900
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.1-387, 604/393-396, 607/377, 607/378, 607/379, 607/380, 607/397
• US Class Current: 604/385.201
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49001 having preferential bending zones, e.g. fold lines or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/532 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/551 Packaging before or after use general packaging of absorbent pads B65D85/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/55115 characterized by the features before use, e.g. how are the diapers folded or arranged in a package

Abstract

A folded disposable diaper to be packed in a package while being folded inwardly about two first folding lines extending in a longitudinal direction of the diaper and then folded inwardly about two second folding lines extending in a transverse direction thereof perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The diaper includes an absorption core having four thin areas and one thick area. The thickness of the diaper at the thin area is equal to or less than one half of the thickness of the diaper at the thick area. The first folding line is positioned outside of the center of the thin area in the transverse direction. Therefore, when the diaper is folded about the first folding lines, each of the thin areas is folded on itself to prevent an increase in the thickness of the folded diaper, while maintaining the absorbency of the absorption core.

Claims

1. A folded disposable diaper to be packed in a package, said disposable diaper being folded inwardly about two first folding lines extending in a longitudinal direction of the disposable diaper and then folded inwardly about two second folding lines extending in a transverse direction of the disposable diaper and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, comprising:

a liquid permeable top sheet;

a back sheet bonded to said top sheet; and

an absorption core interposed between the top sheet and back sheet, the absorption core having a front waist part, a crotch part and a back waist part which in use respectively face an abdominal area, a crotch and a dorsal area of a wearer, and wherein;

the absorption core has an unfolded shape wherein the front waist part and the back waist part are of larger transverse dimension than the crotch part by provision of protrusions extending in the transverse direction on transverse sides of the front waist part and the back waist part;

the absorption core has four thin areas and one thick area, and the thickness of the diaper at each of the four thin areas is equal to or less than one half of the total thickness of the diaper at the thick area;

each of the four thin areas comprising only one of the protrusions extending in the transverse direction on transverse sides of the front waist part and the back waist part and is separate from the other three of said four thin areas;

said two first folding lines are positioned adjacent and parallel to longitudinal side edges of the crotch part, said two first folding lines dividing longitudinally respective pairs of each of said four thin areas substantially in half;

said thick area is a thickest area of said absorption core;

the thick area includes the crotch part and extends therefrom into the front waist part and into the back waist part over the entire longitudinal dimension of the absorption core;

said two second folding lines are positioned respectively longitudinally on each side of the crotch part and extend transversely to said longitudinal direction of said disposable diaper;

the thin areas and the thick area have such boundaries that when the protrusions are folded inwardly about said two first folding lines, each of the protrusions is received against the thin area corresponding thereto and within the boundary thereof; and

the thick area is of larger transverse dimension in the crotch part than in the front waist part and the back waist part.

2. A folded disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein when the absorption core is folded about said two first folding lines, the absorption core has a generally rectangular shape.