Pull-on disposable wearing article with tapered folding guide lines and tucking zones

• US 7,588,561 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Uosawa, Takako, Shimada, Takaaki, Kenmochi, Yasuhiko, Otsubo, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): KIDWELL, MICHELE M
• Application Number:
  US10/753,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20050075618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.101, 6043852-38528, 604/201, 604/385.01, 604/358, 604/385.201, D24/124, D24/126
• US Class Current: 604/385.27
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49001 having preferential bending zones, e.g. fold lines or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49017 the elastic means being located at the crotch region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/496 in the form of pants or briefs

Abstract

A pull-on disposable wearing article is formed in a crotch region with first and second pairs of folding guide lines extending from first and second waist lateral margins toward a transverse middle of the crotch region, respectively. The crotch region is divided into a first zone enclosed by the first waist lateral margin and the first folding guide lines, a second zone enclosed by the second waist lateral margin and the second folding guide lines and a third zone outside the first and second zones. Inside the side edges of the core, first and second elastic members are contractible attached to the article. The first and second elastic members extend across the first and second zones to the third zone. The first and second zones are pulled inward under contractile forces of the elastic members to form tucks which are convex inwardly of the leg-holes.

Claims

1. A pull-on disposable wearing article, comprising:

front and rear waist regions opposed to each other and a crotch region extending between said waist regions;

a waist-surrounding upper end margin defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a transverse direction of said article;

transversely opposite waist lateral margins defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a longitudinal direction of said article, wherein said waist lateral margins of said front and rear waist regions are connected to form a waist-hole and first and second leg-holes;

first and second leg-surrounding lateral margins defined by said crotch region and extending in leg-surrounding directions of the first and second leg holes, respectively;

a liquid-absorbent core laid in said front waist region, said rear waist region and said crotch region, or at least in said crotch region;

said crotch region being formed with

a pair of first folding guide lines extending from two points on said first leg-surrounding lateral margin adjacent said front and rear waist regions, respectively, toward a transverse middle of said crotch region, and

a pair of second folding guide lines extending from two points on said second leg-surrounding lateral margin adjacent said front and rear waist regions, respectively, toward said transverse middle of said crotch region, so that said crotch region is divided into

a first zone enclosed by said first leg-surrounding lateral margin and said first folding guide lines so as to taper toward said transverse middle of said crotch region,

a second zone enclosed by said second leg-surrounding lateral margin and said second folding guide lines so as to taper toward said transverse middle of said crotch region, and

a third zone except said first and second zones;

a first elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction of the first leg hole across said first zone into said third zone, wherein said first elastically stretchable and contractible member is contractibly attached to the article inboard of a first longitudinal side edge of said core adjacent said first leg-surrounding lateral margin, and

a second elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction of the second leg hole across said second zone into said third zone, wherein said second elastically stretchable and contractible member is contractibly attached to the article inboard of a second longitudinal side edge of said core adjacent said second leg-surrounding lateral margin; and

wherein

said first zone is pulled inward as viewed in the respective leg-surrounding direction under a contractile force of said first elastically stretchable and contractible member to form a first tuck which is convex inwardly of said first leg-hole, and

said second zone is pulled inward as viewed in the respective leg-surrounding direction under a contractile force of said second elastically stretchable and contractible member to form a second tuck which is convex inwardly of said second leg-hole.

2. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members exhibit a contraction percentage in a range of 25 to 70% on the basis of 100 representing a length of said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members having been stretched at a predetermined ratio.

3. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members exhibit a stretch stress in a range of 0.1 to 3.0 N.

4. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein a stiffness of said core in said first and second zones and outside said folding guide lines is lower than in said third zone.

6. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said article comprises a liquid-pervious sheet facing a wearer'"'"'s body, a liquid-impervious sheet facing away from the wearer'"'"'s body and said core interposed between these sheets.

7. The wearing article according to claim 1, further comprising two longitudinal bafflers disposed on opposite sides of said core to prevent lateral leakage of bodily discharge, wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are disposed between and inwardly spaced from entireties of said longitudinal barriers.

8. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are disposed below said core, between said core and an impervious cover sheet covering a lower surface of said core.

9. The wearing article according to claim 8, wherein each of said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members is directly attached to said core.

10. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are shorter than said core as measured in the longitudinal direction of said article.

11. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said core is folded along said folding guide lines and is present in the tucks formed by said first and second zones.

12. The wearing article according to claim 9, further comprising:

a liquid-pervious top sheet adapted to face a wearer'"'"'s body in use, and

a liquid-impervious back sheet adapted to face away from the wearer'"'"'s body in use, wherein

said core is interposed between said top sheet and back sheet; and

said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are disposed between said back sheet and said core, and are free of direct attachment to said topsheet.

13. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said core is absent in said tucks.

14. The wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said core is absent in portions of the first and second zones that are outside said folding guide lines.

5. A pull-on disposable wearing article comprising:

front and rear waist regions opposed to each other and a crotch region extending between said waist regions;

a waist-surrounding upper end margin defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a transverse direction;

transversely opposite waist lateral margins defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a longitudinal direction so that said waist lateral margins of said front and rear waist regions are connected to form a waist-hole and a pair of leg-holes;

first and second leg-surrounding lateral margins defined by said crotch region and extending in a leg-surrounding direction;

a liquid-absorbent core laid in said front waist region, said rear waist region and said crotch region, or at least in said crotch region;

said crotch region being formed with a pair of first folding guide lines extending from two points on said first leg-surrounding lateral margin placed aside toward said front and rear waist regions, respectively, toward a transverse middle of said crotch region and a pair of second folding guide lines extending from two points on said second leg-surrounding lateral margin placed aside toward said front and rear waist regions, respectively, toward said transverse middle of said crotch region so that said crotch region is divided into a first zone enclosed by said first leg-surrounding lateral margin and said first folding guide lines so as to taper toward said transverse middle of said crotch region, a second zone enclosed by said second leg-surrounding lateral margin and said second folding guide lines so as to taper toward said transverse middle of said crotch region and a third zone except said first and second zones;

a first elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction across said first zone to said third zone is contractibly attached to the article inside the side edge of said core on the side of said first leg-surrounding lateral margin and a second elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction across said second zone to said third zone is contractibly attached to the article inside the side edge of said core on the side of said second leg-surrounding lateral margin; and

said first zone being pulled inward as viewed in the leg-surrounding direction under a contractile force of said first elastically stretchable and contractible member to form a tuck which is convex inwardly of said leg-hole and said second zone is pulled inward as viewed in the leg-surrounding direction under a contractile force of said second elastically stretchable and contractible member to form a tuck which is convex inwardly of said leg-hole;

wherein said core is absent in said first and second zones.

15. A pull-on disposable wearing article, comprising:

front and rear waist regions and a crotch region extending between said waist regions;

a waist-surrounding upper end margin defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a transverse direction of said article;

transversely opposite waist lateral margins defined by said front and rear waist regions and extending in a longitudinal direction of said article, wherein said waist lateral margins of said front and rear waist regions are connected to form a waist-hole and first and second leg-holes;

first and second leg-surrounding lateral margins defined by said crotch region and extending in leg-surrounding directions of the first and second leg holes, respectively, to define peripheral edges of the first and second leg holes, respectively;

a liquid-absorbent core laid in at least said crotch region and having first and second longitudinal side edges adjacent said first and second leg-surrounding lateral margins, respectively;

said crotch region being formed with

a pair of first folding guide lines extending from a middle of said crotch region to said first leg-surrounding lateral margin and toward said front and rear waist regions, respectively, and

a pair of second folding guide lines extending from said middle of said crotch region to said second leg-surrounding lateral margin and toward said front and rear waist regions, respectively,

wherein said crotch region is divided into

a first zone enclosed by said first leg-surrounding lateral margin and said first folding guide lines and tapering toward said middle of said crotch region,

a second zone enclosed by said second leg-surrounding lateral margin and said second folding guide lines and tapering toward said middle of said crotch region, and

a third zone outside said first and second zones;

a first elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction of the first leg hole across said first zone into said third zone; and

a second elastically stretchable and contractible member extending in the leg-surrounding direction of the second leg hole across said second zone into said third zone;

wherein said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are located between and inwardly spaced from the first and second longitudinal side edges of said core as seen in the transverse direction of the article; and

wherein said first and second zone are pulled inward under contractile forces of said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members, respectively, to form first and second tucks, respectively.

16. The wearing article according to claim 15, wherein a basic weight or density of said core in said first and second zones and outside said folding guide lines is lower than in said third zone.

17. The wearing article according to claim 15, wherein said core is absent in entire said first and second zones.

18. The wearing article according to claim 15, wherein each of said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members is directly attached to said core.

19. The wearing article according to claim 15, further comprising:

a liquid-pervious top sheet adapted to face a wearer'"'"'s body in use, and

a liquid-impervious back sheet adapted to face away from the wearer'"'"'s body in use, wherein

said core is interposed between said top sheet and back sheet; and

said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members are disposed between said back sheet and said core.

20. The wearing article according to claim 19, wherein each of said first and second elastically stretchable and contractible members is directly attached to said core and free of direct attachment to said topsheet.