Sanitary napkin

• US 7,056,311 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Kudo, Jun, Nishitani, Kazuya, Tanio, Toshiyuki, Sakai, Akane, Kinoshita, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva, Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAPMAN, GINGER T
• Application Number:
  US10/841,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 604/387, 604/385.01, 604/385.03, 604/385.04, 604/385.28, 604/389
• US Class Current: 604/385.04
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4753 the barrier being not integral with the topsheet or backsheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/476 characterised by encircling the crotch region of the undergarment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5616 using flaps, e.g. adhesive, for attachment to the undergarment leakage prevention means encirculing the crotch portion A61F13/476
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4706 enlarged in the anal area

Abstract

Disclosed is a sanitary napkin which is effective in preventing liquid from leaking out obliquely rearward. The sanitary napkin has rear flaps rearward of fold-back flaps to be wrapped around a crotch part of an undergarment. The rear flap has a side edge substantially parallel to a longitudinal centerline. The rear flap is provided at its front portion with a rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is disposed forward of a rear end of a leakage preventing wall and a rear end of a main absorbent region. Since the rear flaps can be firmly fixed through the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers, the leakage preventing walls hardly move, so that the leakage preventing walls, as well as the rear flaps outside them, can effectively prevent obliquely rearward leakage.

Claims

1. A sanitary napkin comprising:

an elongated main body having an skin-side surface and a garment-side surface and including a liquid absorbent layer for absorbing liquid applied to the skin-side surface and a backsheet appearing on the garment-side surface;

fold-back flaps configured to be folded back against an outer surface of an undergarment at a crotch part thereof in use, the fold-back flaps projecting outward from transversely opposite sides of the main body and having front pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the fold-back flaps to the outer surface of the undergarment;

rear flaps configured to be placed on an inner surface of the undergarment in use in an unfolded state, the rear flaps projecting outward from the transversely opposite sides of the main body and having rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the rear flaps to the inner surface of the undergarment, the rear flaps being located rearward of the fold-back flaps and longer in length than the fold-back flaps; and

longitudinally extending leakage preventing walls disposed on the skin-side surface of the main body and at equal distances on each side of a longitudinal centerline, each leakage preventing wall having front and rear ends fixed to the skin-side surface, said front end spaced away from the longitudinal frontal edge of the main body and said rear end spaced away from the longitudinal rear edge of the main body, and a plurality of elastic members extending longitudinally an entire length of the leakage preventing wall and for exhibiting an elastic contractive force to bring the front and rear ends of the leakage preventing wall closer to each other so as to rise from the skin-side surface,

wherein the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are separately located forward and rearward from the rear ends of the leakage preventing walls.

2. A sanitary napkin according to claim 1, wherein on each side of the longitudinal centerline, a front end of the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is at a distance of equal to or greater than 10 mm forward of the rear end of the leakage preventing wall.

3. A sanitary napkin according to claim 1, wherein on each side of the longitudinal centerline, a starting point from which a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, starts to increase rearward is located rearward of the fold-back flap, and the rear flap includes:

a front spreading portion where the half-width gradually increases rearward from the starting point;

an intermediate portion where the side edge extends parallel to the longitudinal centerline or extends with a deviation within a range of ±

5 mm transversely from an imaginary line parallel to the longitudinal centerline; and

a rear converging portion where the half-width gradually decreases toward a rear end edge of the napkin, wherein a front boundary point between the front spreading portion and the intermediate portion is located forward of the rear end of the leakage preventing wall.

4. A sanitary napkin according to claim 3, wherein the front boundary point is at a distance of equal to or greater than 30 mm forward of the rear end of the leakage preventing wall.

5. A sanitary napkin according to claim 3, wherein both a width from a rising base of the leakage preventing wall to the front boundary point and a width from the rising base to the rear boundary point fall within the range of 30 to 70 mm.

6. A sanitary napkin according to claim 3, wherein a length from a transverse reference line, which longitudinally bisects the fold-back flap, to the front boundary point falls within the range of 80 to 150 mm.

7. A sanitary napkin according to claim 3, wherein the skin-side surface of the main body has an elongated main absorption region surrounded by a compressed groove in a region between the leakage preventing walls, and the front boundary point is at a distance of equal to or greater than 30 mm forward of a rear end of the main absorption region.

8. A sanitary napkin according to claim 3, wherein auxiliary pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are further disposed on the garment-side surfaces of the rear flaps at a distance rearward of the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers, wherein

on each side of the longitudinal centerline, a front end of the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is located forward of the front boundary point, and a rear end of the auxiliary pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is located rearward of the rear boundary point.

9. A sanitary napkin according to claim 8, wherein the individual rear flaps are configured to be folded back against the skin-side surface of the main body and the main body is also configured to be folded, with the skin-side surface directed inward, on a transversely extending folding boundary line coinciding with a midpoint between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, wherein

the folding boundary line crosses none of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers, and when the individual rear flaps are folded back and the main body is subsequently folded on the folding boundary line, the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers confront the auxiliary pressure-sensitive adhesive layers.

10. A sanitary napkin according to claim 1, wherein a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, is larger in a rear portion of the rear flap than in a front portion of the rear flap, and is largest rearward of a longitudinal center of the rear flap.

11. A sanitary napkin comprising:

an elongated main body having a skin-side surface and a garment-side surface and including a liquid absorbent layer for absorbing liquid applied to the skin-side surface and a backsheet appearing on the garment-side surface;

fold-back flaps configured to be folded back against an outer surface of an undergarment at a crotch part thereof in use, the fold-back flaps projecting outward from transversely opposite sides of the main body and having front pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the fold-back flaps to the outer surface of the undergarment;

rear flaps configured to be placed on an inner surface of the undergarment in use in an unfolded state, the rear flaps projecting outward from the transversely opposite sides of the main body and having rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the rear flaps to the inner surface of the undergarment, the rear flaps being located rearward of the fold-back flaps and larger in length than the fold-back flaps; and

longitudinally extending leakage preventing walls disposed on the skin-side surface of the main body and at equal distances on each side of a longitudinal centerline, each leakage preventing wall having front and rear ends fixed to the skin-side surface and exhibiting an elastic contractive force to bring the front and rear ends closer to each other so as to rise from the skin-side surface,

wherein the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are located forward of the rear ends of the leakage preventing walls,

wherein on each side of the longitudinal centerline, a starting point from which a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, starts to increase rearward is located rearward of the fold-back flap, and the rear flap includes;

a front spreading portion where the half-width gradually increases rearward from the starting point;

an intermediate portion where the side edge extends parallel to the longitudinal centerline or extends with a deviation within a range of ±

5 mm transversely from an imaginary line parallel to the longitudinal centerline; and

a rear converging portion where the half-width gradually decreases toward a rear end edge of the napkin, wherein a front boundary point between the front spreading portion and the intermediate portion is located forward of the rear end of the leakage preventing wall,

wherein L1/L0 is at least ⅓

, where L0 represents a length from the starting point to the rear end edge of the napkin while L1 represents a length from the front boundary point to a rear boundary point between the intermediate portion and the rear converging portion.

12. A sanitary napkin according to claim 11, wherein L1 falls within the range of 60 to 200 mm.

13. A sanitary napkin comprising:

an elongated main body having a skin-side surface and a garment-side surface and including a liquid absorbent layer for absorbing liquid applied to the skin-side surface and a backsheet appearing on the garment-side surface;

fold-back flaps configured to be folded back against an outer surface of an undergarment at a crotch part thereof in use, the fold-back flaps projecting outward from transversely opposite sides of the main body and having front pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the fold-back flaps to the outer surface of the undergarment;

rear flaps configured to be placed on an inner surface of the undergarment in use in an unfolded state, the rear flaps projecting outward from the transversely opposite sides of the main body and having rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the rear flaps to the inner surface of the undergarment, the rear flaps being located rearward of the fold-back flaps and larger in length than the fold-back flaps; and

longitudinally extending leakage preventing walls disposed on the skin-side surface of the main body and at equal distances on each side of a longitudinal centerline, each leakage preventing wall having front and rear ends fixed to the skin-side surface and exhibiting an elastic contractive force to bring the front and rear ends closer to each other so as to rise from the skin-side surface,

wherein the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are located forward of the rear ends of the leakage preventing walls,

wherein on each side of the longitudinal centerline, a starting point from which a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, starts to increase rearward is located rearward of the fold-back flap, and the rear flap includes;

a front spreading portion where the half-width gradually increases rearward from the starting point;

an intermediate portion where the side edge extends parallel to the longitudinal centerline or extends with a deviation within a range of ±

5 mm transversely from an imaginary line parallel to the longitudinal centerline; and

a rear converging portion where the half-width gradually decreases toward a rear end edge of the napkin, wherein a front boundary point between the front spreading portion and the intermediate portion is located forward of the rear end of the leakage preventing wall,

wherein an imaginary line, which coincides with the starting point and is tangent to an edge of the rear flap, forms an angle of 30 to 45 degrees with the longitudinal centerline.

14. A sanitary napkin comprising:

an elongated main body having a skin-side surface and a garment-side surface and including a liquid absorbent layer for absorbing liquid applied to the skin-side surface and a backsheet appearing on the garment-side surface;

fold-back flaps configured to be folded back against an outer surface of an undergarment at a crotch part thereof in use, the fold-back flaps projecting outward from transversely opposite sides of the main body and having front pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the fold-back flaps to the outer surface of the undergarment;

rear flaps configured to be placed on an inner surface of the undergarment in use in an unfolded state, the rear flaps projecting outward from the transversely opposite sides of the main body and having rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the rear flaps to the inner surface of the undergarment, the rear flaps being located rearward of the fold-back flaps and larger in length than the fold-back flaps; and

longitudinally extending leakage preventing walls disposed on the skin-side surface of the main body and at equal distances on each side of a longitudinal centerline, each leakage preventing wall having front and rear ends fixed to the skin-side surface and exhibiting an elastic contractive force to bring the front and rear ends closer to each other so as to rise from the skin-side surface,

wherein the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are located forward of the rear ends of the leakage preventing walls,

wherein a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, is larger in a rear portion of the rear flap than in a front portion of the rear flap, and is largest rearward of a longitudinal center of the rear flap,

wherein Le/L0 is at most ⅕

, where Le represents a length from a point where the half-width is largest to a rear end edge of the napkin while L0 represents a length of the rear flap.

15. A sanitary napkin comprising:

an elongated main body having a skin-side surface and a garment-side surface and including a liquid absorbent layer for absorbing liquid applied to the skin-side surface and a backsheet appearing on the garment-side surface;

fold-back flaps configured to be folded back against an outer surface of an undergarment at a crotch part thereof in use, the fold-back flaps projecting outward from transversely opposite sides of the main body and having front pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the fold-back flaps to the outer surface of the undergarment;

rear flaps configured to be placed on an inner surface of the undergarment in use in an unfolded state, the rear flaps projecting outward from the transversely opposite sides of the main body and having rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on garment-side surfaces thereof for adhering the rear flaps to the inner surface of the undergarment, the rear flaps being located rearward of the fold-back flaps and larger in length than the fold-back flaps; and

longitudinally extending leakage preventing walls disposed on the skin-side surface of the main body and at equal distances on each side of a longitudinal centerline, each leakage preventing wall having front and rear ends fixed to the skin-side surface and exhibiting an elastic contractive force to bring the front and rear ends closer to each other so as to rise from the skin-side surface,

wherein the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are located forward of the rear ends of the leakage preventing walls,

wherein a half-width, measured from the longitudinal centerline to a side edge, is larger in a rear portion of the rear flap than in a front portion of the rear flap, and is largest rearward of a longitudinal center of the rear flap,

wherein auxiliary pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are further disposed on the garment-side surfaces of the rear flaps at a distance rearward of the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers,

wherein the auxiliary pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are farther away from the longitudinal centerline than is the rear pressure-sensitive adhesive layers.