Pull-on disposable diaper

• US 7,169,136 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Takino, Shunsuke, Otsubo, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva; Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAPMAN, GINGER T
• Application Number:
  US10/924,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20050288648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 60438501-385201, 604/385.28, 604/380, 60438522-38531, 604/358
• US Class Current: 604/385.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49001 having preferential bending zones, e.g. fold lines or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4946 the edge leakage prevention means being an absorbent medium A61F13/49426 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/496 in the form of pants or briefs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5323 having absorbent material located in discrete regions, e.g. pockets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4568 three-dimensional; with split absorbent core

Abstract

A pull-on disposable diaper is composed of a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region extending between these waist regions and a body fluid absorbing component formed on an inner side of these regions. The absorbing component is formed in the crotch region with a V-shaped first folding guide, a V-shaped second folding guide and a third folding guide extending in a transverse direction between the first and second folding guides. The absorbing component is folded along the third folding guide so that a core forming a part of the component may have its outer surface sections facing each other and along the first and second folding guides so that the core may have its inner surface sections facing each other.

Claims

1. A pull-on disposable diaper having a height direction and a transverse direction being orthogonal to said height direction, said diaper being generally symmetric about a center line bisecting said diaper in said transverse direction, said diaper comprising a pants-like covering component having an inner surface facing a wearer'"'"'s body and an outer surface facing a wearer'"'"'s garment, said covering component being composed of a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region adapted to cover a wearer'"'"'s front region, a wearer'"'"'s rear region and a wearer'"'"'s crotch region, respectively, said covering component having a waist-hole and a pair of leg-holes, and being provided with an absorbing component which is separate from the pants-like covering component and disposed on said inner surface of said pants-like covering component so as to extend over said crotch region into said front and rear waist regions, said pull-on disposable diaper further comprising:

said absorbing component comprising a liquid-absorbent core and a liquid-pervious cover sheet, said core having a generally rectangular shape and having an inner surface and an outer surface, said cover sheet covering at least said inner surface of said inner and outer surfaces of said core, said absorbing component being formed in said crotch region with a first folding guide extending from a middle zone between transversely opposite side edges which extend, in turn, parallel to each other in said height direction to respective said side edges so as to veer toward said front waist region, a second folding guide extending to respective said side edges so as to veer toward said rear waist region and a third folding guide extending in a transverse direction between said first and second folding guides, and said absorbing component being folded on both sides of said center line along said third folding guide so that said core has its outer surface sections facing to each other and along said first and second folding guides so that said core has its inner surface sections facing to each other, and wherein said crotch region is provided on said outer surface of said absorbing component with flaps extending outward of said absorbing component in said transverse direction and defining peripheral edges of respective said leg-holes, said flaps being elastically stretchable in a circumferential direction of said leg-holes, said outer surface of said absorbing component being separated from said flaps at least along said side edges and in vicinities of said side edges and zones separated from said flaps are covered with said cover sheet.

2. The disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein at least said first and second folding guides of said first-third folding guides serve as V-shaped folding guides having a relatively low stiffness which are formed in said absorbing component.

3. The disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein at least said first and second folding guides of said first-third folding guides serve as V-shaped folding guides having a relatively high stiffness which are formed in said body fluid absorbent component.

4. The disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said crotch region includes a liquid-impervious sheet, said cover sheet being folded back so as to wrap not only said inner surface of said core but also said outer surface of said core in vicinities of said side edges, and said core being capable, in vicinities of said side edges, of absorbing bodily discharges present between said cover sheet and said liquid-impervious sheet from said outer surface through said cover sheet.

5. The disposable diaper according to claim 1, wherein said outer surface of said core is covered in a transversely middle zone with a liquid-impervious sheet.

6. The disposable diaper according to claim 4, wherein said diaper has at least said cover sheet on a side of its outer surface of said core, a breathable nonwoven fabric sheet on an outer surface of said cover sheet, and a plastic film on an outer surface of said nonwoven fabric sheet as said liquid-impervious sheet.