Disposable absorbent article with standing barrier cuffs, pocket, and folding guides for separating feces from urine

• US 7,204,830 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Nakajima, Kaiyo, Mishima, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva; Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAHN, LAURA HILL
• Application Number:
  US11/103,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.28, 604/385.19, 60438524-38529, 604/385.101, 604/358, 604/385.01
• US Class Current: 604/385.19
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49466 the edge leakage prevention means being at the waist region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/495 with faecal cavity

Abstract

A disposable wearing article includes a liquid-impervious chassis, a pair of liquid-impervious leak-barrier sheets laid along transversely opposite side edges of the chassis, a body fluid absorbent first panel extending over a crotch region and a rear waist region of the chassis and joined to the chassis, and a body fluid absorbent second panel extending over a front waist region and the crotch region. The second panel has a front portion joined to the front waist region, a distal portion and transversely opposite side edges joined to the chassis. The distal portion has side sections extending upward above the chassis and joined to distal sections of the respective leak-barrier sheets, and a transversely middle section which extends between the side sections and is convex upward above the side sections and thereby a pocket opening from the crotch region toward the rear waist region is formed between the chassis and the distal portion.

Claims

1. A disposable wearing article having longitudinal and transverse directions, said article comprising:

a liquid-impervious chassis having a front waist region, a rear waist region, and a crotch region extending in the longitudinal direction between said front and rear waist regions;

a pair of liquid-impervious leak-barrier sheets, wherein said leak-barrier sheets have

proximal sections extending in the longitudinal direction along transversely opposite side edges of said chassis, respectively,

distal sections provided with stretchable elastic members which extend in the longitudinal direction and are contractibly attached to said distal sections so that said distal sections are biased to rise above said chassis, and

longitudinally opposite ends respectively bonded to the front and rear waist regions of said chassis and collapsed in the transverse direction;

a body fluid absorbent first panel laid between said pair of leak-barrier sheets, joined to said chassis, and extending over said crotch region and said rear waist region of said chassis; and

a body fluid absorbent second panel laid between said pair of leak-barrier sheets and extending over said front waist region and said crotch region of said chassis;

wherein

said second panel has

a front portion joined to said front waist region of said chassis,

a rear portion extending in said crotch region, and

transversely opposite side edges extending in the longitudinal direction of said chassis; and

said rear portion of said second panel has

a pair of side sections extending upward from said chassis and being joined to the distal sections of said leak-barrier sheets, and

a transversely middle section extending between said side sections so as to be convex upward above said side sections, said middle section at least partially extending upward beyond upper ends of said distal sections of the respective leak-barrier sheets, wherein said chassis and said rear portion of said second panel define therebetween a pocket open toward said rear region; and

said side sections of said rear portion of said second panel are joined to said distal sections of said leak-barrier sheets at a level lower than said elastic members; and

an absorbent core of said second panel includes a pair of folding guides which are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the transverse direction, extend in the longitudinal direction, and are formed between the side sections and the middle section in said rear portion of said second panel.

2. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein said distance between said folding guides gradually increases from said rear portion toward the front portion of said second panel.

3. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein said side sections of said rear portion of said second panel are joined to said distal sections of the respective leak-barrier sheets at a level below said folding guides.

4. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein said second panel has a lower stiffness along said folding guides than in areas of said rear portion of said second panel which are located outside said folding guides.

5. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein said second panel has a higher stiffness along said folding guides than in areas of said rear portion of said second panel which are located outside said folding guides.

6. The wearing article defined by claim 2, wherein said folding guides extend up to said transversely opposite side edges of said second panel.

7. A disposable wearing article having longitudinal and transverse directions, said article comprising:

a liquid-impervious chassis having a front waist region, a rear waist region, and a crotch region extending in the longitudinal direction between said front and rear waist regions;

a body fluid absorbent first panel joined to an upper side of said chassis and extending in the longitudinal direction from said rear waist region towards said front waist region; and

a body fluid absorbent second panel comprising;

a front portion joined to the upper side of said chassis in said front waist region, and

a rear portion extending obliquely upwardly from the upper side of said chassis and rearwardly in the longitudinal direction from said front portion towards said rear waist region;

wherein

said second panel further comprises opposite upper and lower surfaces and an absorbent material between said upper and lower surfaces;

the lower surface of said second panel in said rear portion is upwardly spaced from the upper side of said chassis to define a pocket between the lower surface of said second panel in said rear portion and the upper side of said chassis, said pocket being open rearwardly in the longitudinal direction towards said rear waist region;

said article further comprises a pair of liquid-impervious leak-barrier sheets between which said first and second panels are positioned, wherein each of said leak-barrier sheets has

a proximal section extending in the longitudinal direction along one of transversely opposite side edges of said chassis, said proximal section being attached to the upper side of said chassis; and

a distal section having a stretchable elastic member contractibly attached thereto so as to bias said distal section to rise above said chassis;

the upper surface of said second panel in said rear portion is bonded to each of said leak-barrier sheets at a location situated between the elastic member and the proximal section of said leak-barrier sheet;

a pair of folding guides spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the transverse direction and extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in said rear portion of said second panel; and

the locations at which the upper surface of said second panel in said rear portion is bonded to said leak-barrier sheets are situated below said folding guides.

8. A disposable wearing article having longitudinal and transverse directions, said article comprising:

a liquid-impervious chassis having a front waist region, a rear waist region, and a crotch region extending in the longitudinal direction between said front and rear waist regions;

a body fluid absorbent first panel joined to an upper side of said chassis and extending in the longitudinal direction from said rear waist region towards said front waist region; and

a body fluid absorbent second panel comprising;

a front portion joined to the upper side of said chassis in said front waist region, and

a rear portion extending obliquely upwardly from the upper side of said chassis and rearwardly in the longitudinal direction from said front portion towards said rear waist region;

wherein

said second panel further comprises opposite upper and lower surfaces and an absorbent material between said upper and lower surfaces;

the lower surface of said second panel in said rear portion is upwardly spaced from the upper side of said chassis to define a pocket between the lower surface of said second panel in said rear portion and the upper side of said chassis, said pocket being open rearwardly in the longitudinal direction towards said rear waist region;

a pair of folding guides spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the transverse direction and extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in said rear portion of said second panel; and

said distance between said folding guides gradually increases from said rear portion toward the front portion of said second panel.