Elongated absorbent article

• US 7,067,711 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Kudo, Jun, Tamura, Tatsuya, Miyama, Takuya, Kuroda, Kenichiro, Kinoshita, Masataka, Komatsu, Shimpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva, Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Craig, Paula L.
• Application Number:
  US11/058,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20050148971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 604/366, 604/378, 604/379, 604/380, 604/383, 604/385.201
• US Class Current: 604/380
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51104 the top sheet having a three-dimensional cross-section, e.g. corrugations, embossments, recesses or projections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51121 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/512 characterised by its apertures, e.g. perforations

Abstract

Disclosed is an elongated absorbent article, in which liquid passage holes and embossments are dispersed in a central region including a front portion and a rear portion. Aperture density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the liquid passage holes in the front portion) by (area of the front portion) is higher than aperture density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the liquid passage holes in the rear portion) by (area of the rear portion), while embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the rear portion) by (area of the rear portion) is higher than embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the front portion) by (area of the front portion).

Claims

1. An elongated absorbent article having a skin surface and a garment surface, comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet appearing on the skin surface, a backsheet appearing on the garment surface, and a liquid absorbent layer disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein

compressed grooves where the liquid absorbent layer is compressed together with the topsheet are disposed to extend symmetrically about a longitudinal centerline of the absorbent article, defining therebetween an elongated central region, the central region including a front portion and a rear portion, wherein

in the central region, a nonwoven fabric forming the topsheet is formed with liquid passage holes passing through at least the topsheet and dot-embossments where at least the topsheet is compressed, wherein

aperture density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the liquid passage holes in the front portion) by (area of the front portion) is higher than aperture density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the liquid passage holes in the rear portion) by (area of the rear portion), while embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the rear portion) by (area of the rear portion) is higher than embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the front portion) by (area of the front portion).

2. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein the topsheet comprises heat-fusible fibers and a second layer comprising heat-fusible fibers is disposed beneath the topsheet, wherein the liquid passage holes extend from the topsheet into the second layer and the topsheet and the second layer are fusion-bonded together along inner surfaces of the liquid passage holes, while the topsheet and the second layer are compressed and fusion-bonded together at the embossments.

3. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second layer has a larger basis weight than the topsheet.

4. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein the liquid passage holes are present but the embossments are absent in the front portion.

5. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 4, wherein average center-to-center distance between adjacent embossments in the rear portion is larger than average center-to-center distance between adjacent liquid passage holes in the front portion.

10. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front portion is intended to face a vaginal opening of a wearer, while the rear portion is intended to face a portion posterior to the vaginal opening.

6. An elongated absorbent article having a skin surface and a garment surface, comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet appearing on the skin surface, a backsheet appearing on the garment surface, and a liquid absorbent layer disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein

compressed grooves where the liquid absorbent layer is compressed together with the topsheet are disposed to extend symmetrically about a longitudinal centerline of the absorbent article, defining therebetween an elongated central region, the central region including a front portion and a rear portion, wherein

liquid passage holes are uniformly distributed in the topsheet over the central region while dot-embossments where the topsheet is compressed are arranged in the central region in such a manner that embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the rear portion) by (area of the rear portion) is higher than embossment density obtained by dividing (total of areas occupied by the embossments in the front portion) by (area of the front portion).

7. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 6, wherein the topsheet is a resin film formed with the liquid passage holes.

8. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, wherein a second layer comprising heat-fusible fibers is disposed beneath the topsheet, wherein the topsheet and the second layer are compressed and fusion-bonded together at the embossments.

9. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 6, wherein the embossments are absent in the front portion.

11. An elongated absorbent article as set forth in claim 6, wherein the front portion is intended to face a vaginal opening of a wearer, while the rear portion is intended to face a portion posterior to the vaginal opening.