Disposable undergarment having barrier flaps

• US 6,423,048 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Mishima, Yoshitaka, Suzuki, Naomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stephens, Jacqueline F
• Application Number:
  US09/539,902
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.28, 604/385.26, 604/385.27, 604/385.01, 604/385.23, 604/855.24, 604/385.25
• US Class Current: 604/385.28
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4942 the barrier not being integral with the top- or back-sheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49473 the edge leakage prevention means having a continuous closed form, e.g. circle, ellipse, rectangle

Abstract

A disposable diaper includes barrier side flaps extending along an opposite side edges 1a of a diaper body. The barrier side flaps each includes a first side section extending above an upper side of the body and a second side section extending below a lower side of the body. The second side section includes being folded back with its inner surface put flat together so as to define a free subsection extending inward of the body and a fixed subsection extending outward of the body. A surface of the fixed subsection opposed to the lower side of the body is joined to the lower side and opposite end sections of the barrier flaps are collapsed inward of the body and joined to the upper side of the body at the opposite ends of the body.

Claims

1. A disposable undergarment, comprising:

sheet members contoured by transversely opposite and longitudinally extending side edges, longitudinally opposite and transversely extending ends; and

a pair of barrier side flaps extending longitudinally of said sheet members along said transversely opposite side edges and being biased to rise from an upper side of said sheet members;

each of said barrier side flaps comprising a first side section extending longitudinally and above the upper side of said sheet members , and a second side section extending longitudinally and below a lower side of said sheet members, longitudinally opposite ends of each of said barrier side flaps being collapsed inward transversely of said sheet members and joined to the upper side of said sheet members at the longitudinally opposite ends of said sheet members;

said second side section comprising a first fold which extends longitudinally of said sheet members and divides said second side section into a first free subsection extending inward from the first side section and transversely of said sheet members, and a first fixed subsection extending outward from the first free subsection and transversely of said sheet members, said first free and fixed subsections overlying each other; and

said first fixed subsection being joined to a lower side of said sheet members.

2. The disposable undergarment according to claim 1, wherein each of said barrier side flap is made of a nonwoven fabric and provided along said first side section with at least one elastic member secured under tension to said first side section so as to extend longitudinally of said sheet members.

3. The disposable undergarment according to claim 1, wherein each of said barrier side flap is made of a stretchable nonwoven fabric and joined under tension to said sheet members so as to extend longitudinally of said sheet members.

4. The disposable undergarment according to claim 1, further comprising at least one barrier end flap extending transversely of said sheet members to cover at least one of the longitudinally opposite ends of said sheet members;

said barrier end flap comprising a first section extending above the upper side of said sheet members transversely of said sheet members, and a second section extending below the lower side of said sheet members transversely of said sheet members, transversely opposite ends said barrier end flap lying on the upper side of said sheet members and being bonded to the respectively longitudinally opposite ends of said barrier side flaps;

said second section comprising a second fold which extends transversely of said sheet members and divides said second section into a second free subsection extending inward from the first section and longitudinally of said sheet members, and a second fixed subsection extending outward from the second free subsection and longitudinally of said sheet members, said second free and fixed subsections overlying each other; and

said second fixed subsection being joined to the lower side of said sheet members.

5. The disposable undergarment according to claim 4, wherein said barrier end flap is made of a nonwoven fabric and provided with at least one elastic member secured under tension to said first section so as to extend transversely of said sheet members.

6. The disposable undergarment according to claim 4, wherein said barrier end flap is made of a stretchable nonwoven fabric and joined under tension to said sheet members so as to extend transversely thereof.

7. The disposable undergarment according to claim 1, wherein said disposable undergarment is a disposable diaper comprising a laminate panel comprising said sheet members which include a liquid-pervious topsheet and a liquid-impervious backsheet of said laminate panel, said laminate panel further comprising a liquid-absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet;

wherein said first fixed subsections of said barrier side flaps are joined to a lower surface of said backsheet; and

said longitudinally opposite ends of said barrier side flaps are joined to an upper surface of said topsheet.

8. The disposable undergarment according to claim 7, wherein said laminate panel is provided, in the vicinity of said transversely opposite and longitudinally extending side edges, with elastic members secured under tension to said laminate panel so as to extend longitudinally of said laminate panel.

9. The disposable undergarment according to claim 7, wherein said barrier side flaps are not joined to said topsheet in a crotch region of said laminate panel located between said longitudinally opposite and transversely extending ends.

10. The disposable undergarment according to claim 4, wherein said disposable undergarment is a disposable diaper comprising a laminate panel comprising said sheet members which include a liquid-pervious topsheet and a liquid-impervious backsheet of said laminate panel, said laminate panel further comprising a liquid-absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet;

wherein said first fixed subsections of said barrier side flaps and said fixed subsection of said at least one barrier end flap are joined to a lower surface of said backsheet; and

said longitudinally opposite ends of said barrier side flaps are joined to an upper surface of said topsheet.

11. The disposable undergarment according to claim 10, wherein said at least one barrier end flaps is not joined to said topsheet in a region between said bondings to the associated one of said longitudinally opposite ends of each of said barrier side flaps.