Sanitary napkin

• US 7,621,899 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshimasa, Wataru, Fujikawa, Shinobu, Tanio, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): KIDWELL, MICHELE M
• Application Number:
  US11/402,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.01, 604/367, 604/385.101, 60438517-38518, 604/904
• US Class Current: 604/385.101
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47218 with a raised crotch region, e.g. hump
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47227 for interlabial use
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47263 with activating means, e.g. elastic, heat or chemical activatable means

Abstract

A sanitary napkin includes a main body having a liquid-absorbent layer for absorbing and retaining liquid and a projection disposed on a body surface of the main body. At least a portion of the projection is separably fixed to the body surface of the main body through a temporarily fixing means.

Claims

1. A sanitary napkin comprising:

a main body having a liquid-absorbent layer for absorbing and retaining liquid; and

a projection disposed on a body surface of the main body, the projection being divided into front and rear portions,

wherein the rear portion of the projection is separably fixed to the body surface of the main body through a temporarily fixing means, such that the rear portion of the projection can be easily separated from the main body without causing damage to components of the projection and main body, the temporarily fixing means being provided on a garment surface of the projection,

wherein the temporarily fixing means provides a bond strength such that the projection and the main body can be separated from each other without changing in shape,

wherein the front portion of the projection is firmly fixed to the body surface of the main body through a firmly fixing means which provides a higher bond strength than the temporarily fixing means,

wherein the bond strength provided by the temporarily fixing means is 0.1-2.0 Newtons, and

wherein the bond strength provided by the firmly fixing means is greater than or equal to 2.5 Newtons.

2. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the projection has front and rear portions and an intermediate portion located between the front and rear portions, the front and rear portions being firmly fixed to the body surface of the main body through the firmly fixing means, the intermediate portion being separably fixed to the body surface of the main body through the temporarily fixing means.

3. The sanitary napkin of claim 2, wherein the projection is configured to face the intergluteal cleft of a wearer at the intermediate portion.

4. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the rear portion has a tab at a rear end thereof.

5. The sanitary napkin of claim 4, wherein the tab is not fixed to the main body.

6. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the projection includes a longitudinally extending connection sheet and an upper structure, the connection sheet being fixed to the body surface of the main body through the temporarily fixing means and firmly fixing means, the upper structure being firmly fixed to a body surface of the connection sheet.

7. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the whole projection is separably fixed to the body surface of the main body through the temporarily fixing means.

8. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the temporarily fixing means comprises embossments formed by partially pressing a component of the projection against the body surface of the main body.

9. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the temporarily fixing means is provided by partially fusion-bonding a component of the projection to the body surface of the main body.

10. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the temporarily fixing means is an adhesive layer through which the projection is separably bonded to the body surface of the main body.

11. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the temporarily fixing means is provided by perforating a component of the projection at intervals.

12. The sanitary napkin of claim 4, wherein temporarily fixing means is operable to be released by pulling on the tab, such that upon release the projection and the main body are separated from each other without substantial damage.

13. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the firmly fixing means occupies a firmly fixing region extending from a front edge of the main body to a boundary transversely positioned across a longitudinal centerline of the main body, and the temporarily fixing means occupies a temporarily fixing region extending from the boundary to a rear edge of the main body.

14. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, wherein the projection includes:

a tubular laminated sheet;

an elastic member extending within an upper portion of the tubular laminated sheet; and

a connection sheet positioned between the tubular laminated sheet and the main body.

15. The sanitary napkin of claim 1, further comprising a tab of the projection extending beyond the rear edge of the main body, the tab being formed by flattening and heat sealing a rearmost portion of the tubular laminated sheet to the connection sheet.

16. The sanitary napkin of claim 13, wherein the temporarily fixing means comprises dot-shaped embossments formed by heat sealing at spaced intervals within the temporarily fixing region.

17. The sanitary napkin of claim 13, wherein the temporarily fixing means comprises an adhesive applied in a dot-shaped pattern at spaced intervals within the temporarily fixing region.