Absorbent article having extended cushion layer with corrugated topsheet

• US 7,335,810 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshimasa, Wataru, Nishitani, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichle; Karin
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAHN, LAURA HILL
• Application Number:
  US10/194,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.23, 604/367, 604/385.01, 604/358, 604378-380, 604/385.101, 602/56
• US Class Current: 604/380
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47245 with asymmetry around the x or y axis
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47272 with a longitudinal raised end, e.g. cup-shaped gluteal groove for edge leakage prevention A61F13/494
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4751 the means preventing fluid flow in a transversal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/533 having discontinuous areas of compression
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/535 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad, e.g. core absorbent layers being of different sizes A61F13/5323, A61F13/537 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4958 with a faecal management layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/51322 being elastomeric or stretchable

Abstract

Disclosed is an absorbent article including: a liquid-permeable topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent storage layer between the topsheet and the backsheet; and a cushion layer between the topsheet and the absorbent storage layer. When a tensile force of 490 mN per 25 mm width is applied to the topsheet in a transverse direction crossing the cushion layer, an extension is at least 30%. When the absorbent article is pressed from above in a region having the cushion layer, an initial thickness T0 of the pressed region of the absorbent article for a pressure of 49 Pa is at least 10 mm, a compressive hardness (LC value) is 0.5 to 0.65, and a compressive recovery (RC value) is at least 35%.

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising:

a liquid-permeable topsheet;

a backsheet;

an absorbent storage layer between the topsheet and the backsheet; and

a cushion layer between the topsheet and the absorbent storage layer,

wherein the absorbent storage layer is compressed forming a compressed groove surrounding a raised region, the raised region is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, the cushion layer is confined within a rear region of the raised region, and the topsheet is corrugated within the rear region to have hills and valleys extending in the longitudinal direction and alternating with each other in a transverse direction of the absorbent article,

when a tensile force of 490 mN per 25 mm width is applied to the topsheet in a transverse direction crossing the cushion layer, an extension is at least 30%, and

when the absorbent article is pressed from above in the rear region having the cushion layer with a pressure varying from 49 Pa to 4,900 Pa, an initial thickness T0 of the pressed region of the absorbent article for a pressure of 49 Pa is at least 10 mm, a compressive hardness (LC value) is 0.5 to 0.65, and a compressive recovery (RC value) is at least 35%.

2. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein when Tm represents a thickness of the pressed region of the absorbent article for a pressure of 4,900 Pa, a difference between the initial thickness T0 and the thickness Tm is at least 3 mm.

3. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein when the cushion layer alone is pressed from above with a pressure varying from 49 Pa to 4,900 Pa, an initial thickness T0′

for the pressure of 49 Pa is at least 3 mm, a thickness Tm′

for the pressure of 4,900 Pa is at most 1.5 mm, a compressive hardness (LC value) is at least 0.35, and a compressive recovery (RC value) is at least 30%.

4. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein a Gurley stiffness at the compressed groove is 4.9 to 34.3 mN, a Gurley stiffness at the rear region is 1.96 to 14.7 mN, and the Gurley stiffness at the compressed groove is larger than the Gurley stiffness at the rear region.

5. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

a pair of leakage preventing portions extending in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article at transversely opposite sides of the raised region, the leakage preventing portions having elastic members adapted to exhibit an elastic contractive force in the longitudinal direction,

wherein a portion of each leakage preventing portion to be elastically contracted by the elastic member has a front end ahead of a front end of the cushion layer and has a rear end ahead of a rear end of the cushion layer.

6. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

a pair of leakage preventing portions extending in a longitudinal direction at transversely opposite sides of the raised region; and

flap portions outside the respective leakage preventing portions,

wherein transversely opposed portions of the compressed groove are concavely curved to decrease a distance therebetween so that the flap portions do not overlap with the raised portion when the flap portions are folded back against a liquid-receiving side of the absorbent article at fold lines provided outside the respective leakage preventing portions.

13. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 1, wherein the topsheet and the cushion layer are through-air bonded non-woven fabric.

7. An absorbent article comprising:

a liquid-permeable topsheet;

a backsheet;

an absorbent storage layer between the topsheet and the backsheet; and

a cushion layer between the topsheet and the absorbent storage layer,

wherein the absorbent storage layer is compressed forming a compressed groove surrounding a raised region, the raised region is elongated in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, the cushion layer is confined within a rear region of the raised region, and the topsheet is corrugated within the rear region to have hills and valleys extending in the longitudinal direction and alternating with each other in a transverse direction of the absorbent article.

8. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7,

wherein when a tensile force of 490 mN per 25 mm width is applied to the topsheet in a transverse direction crossing the cushion layer, an extension is at least 30%, and

when the absorbent article is pressed from above in the rear region having the cushion layer with a pressure varying from 49 Pa to 4,900 Pa, an initial thickness T0 for the pressure of 49 Pa is at least 10 mm, a compressive hardness (LC value) is 0.5 to 0.65, and a compressive recovery (RC value) is at least 35%, and a thickness Tm for the pressure of 4,900 Pa, a difference between the initial thickness T0 and the thickness Tm is at least 3 mm.

9. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, wherein when the cushion layer alone is pressed from above with a pressure varying from 49 Pa to 4,900 Pa, an initial thickness T0′

for the pressure of 49 Pa is at least 3 mm, a thickness Tm′

for the pressure of 4,900 Pa is at most 1.5 mm, a compressive hardness (LC value) is at least 0.35, and a compressive recovery (RC value) is at least 30%.

10. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, wherein a Gurley stiffness at the compressed groove is 4.9 to 34.3 mN, a Gurley stiffness at the rear region is 1.96 to 14.7 mN, and the Gurley stiffness at the compressed groove is larger than the Gurley stiffness at the rear region.

11. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, which further comprises:

a pair of leakage preventing portions extending in a longitudinal direction at transversely opposite sides of the raised region, the leakage preventing portions having elastic members adapted to exhibit an elastic contractive force in the longitudinal direction,

wherein a portion of each leakage preventing portion to be elastically contracted by the elastic member has a front end ahead of a front end of the cushion layer and has a rear end ahead of a rear end of the cushion layer.

12. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, which further comprises:

a pair of leakage preventing portions extending in the longitudinal direction at transversely opposite sides of the raised region; and

flap portions outside the respective leakage preventing portions,

wherein transversely opposed portions of the compressed groove are concavely curved to decrease a distance therebetween so that the flap portions do not overlap with the raised portion when the flap portions are folded back against a liquid-receiving side of the absorbent article at fold lines provided outside the respective leakage preventing portions.

14. The absorbent article as set forth in claim 7, wherein the topsheet and the cushion layer are through-air bonded non-woven fabric.