Absorbent article
First Claim
1. An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a body-side surface, a clothes-side surface, longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and transversely opposite side edges, said article comprising:
- a liquid-absorbent layer, anda continuous groove compressed into the body-side surface of the liquid-absorbent layer, wherein;
said compressed groove comprises;
a pair of lateral groove segments extending substantially in said longitudinal direction and arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of said article,a front groove segment extending forward from respective front ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said front ends of said lateral groove segments together, said front groove segment defining a front side curve which is convex toward the front end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, anda rear groove segment extending rearward from respective rear ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said rear ends of said lateral groove segments together, said rear groove segment defining a rear side curve which is convex toward the rear end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, wherein said compressed groove as a whole presents an elongated, continuous and closed loop which is longer in the longitudinal direction than it is wide in the transverse direction;
said rear side curve has, in the vicinity of its rear end located on the longitudinal center line, a radius in a range of 0 to 10 mm;
said front side curve has, in the vicinity of its front end located on the longitudinal center line, a radius greater than the radius of the rear side curve; and
said absorbent layer comprises a bottom covering region which extends rearward from the rear end of said rear groove segment, has a thickness in a range of 1 to 5 mm, and is adapted to be folded along the longitudinal center line so that said bottom covering region can become convex, in use, toward a wearer;
wherein a thickness of the absorbent layer within the closed-loop shape defined by the compressed groove decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction from a front portion in the vicinity of the front end of the front groove segment to a rear portion in the vicinity of the rear end of the rear groove segment.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An absorbent article includes a compressed groove provided on a body-side surface of a sanitary napkin includes a pair of lateral groove segments extending substantially in the longitudinal direction symmetrically about a longitudinal center line and a pair of rear groove segments converging rearward from respective rear ends of the pair of lateral groove segments so that the compressed groove as a whole presents an elongated shape which is angular rearward. The rear side groove segment has a curve conforming, in the vicinity of its rear end, with an arc of a circle having a predetermined radius and inscribed to the rear side groove segment. A bottom covering region extending rearward from the rear end of the rear groove segment has a predetermined thickness and is adapted to be folded along the longitudinal center line so that the bottom covering region can become convex on the side of the body-side surface. A distance between a pair of proximal ends of the rear side groove segment as measured in the transverse direction is in a predetermined range and a distance from the pair of proximal ends to the rear end of the rear groove segment as measured in the longitudinal direction is in a predetermined range.
82 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a body-side surface, a clothes-side surface, longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and transversely opposite side edges, said article comprising:
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a liquid-absorbent layer, and a continuous groove compressed into the body-side surface of the liquid-absorbent layer, wherein; said compressed groove comprises; a pair of lateral groove segments extending substantially in said longitudinal direction and arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of said article, a front groove segment extending forward from respective front ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said front ends of said lateral groove segments together, said front groove segment defining a front side curve which is convex toward the front end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, and a rear groove segment extending rearward from respective rear ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said rear ends of said lateral groove segments together, said rear groove segment defining a rear side curve which is convex toward the rear end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, wherein said compressed groove as a whole presents an elongated, continuous and closed loop which is longer in the longitudinal direction than it is wide in the transverse direction; said rear side curve has, in the vicinity of its rear end located on the longitudinal center line, a radius in a range of 0 to 10 mm; said front side curve has, in the vicinity of its front end located on the longitudinal center line, a radius greater than the radius of the rear side curve; and said absorbent layer comprises a bottom covering region which extends rearward from the rear end of said rear groove segment, has a thickness in a range of 1 to 5 mm, and is adapted to be folded along the longitudinal center line so that said bottom covering region can become convex, in use, toward a wearer; wherein a thickness of the absorbent layer within the closed-loop shape defined by the compressed groove decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction from a front portion in the vicinity of the front end of the front groove segment to a rear portion in the vicinity of the rear end of the rear groove segment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a body-side surface, a clothes-side surface, longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and transversely opposite side edges, said article comprising:
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a liquid-absorbent layer, and a continuous groove compressed into the body-side surface of the liquid-absorbent layer, wherein; said compressed groove comprises; a pair of lateral groove segments extending substantially in said longitudinal direction and arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of said article, a front groove segment extending forward from respective front ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said front ends of said lateral groove segments together, said front groove segment defining a front side curve which is convex toward the front end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, and a rear groove segment extending rearward from respective rear ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said rear ends of said lateral groove segments together, said rear groove segment defining a rear side curve which is convex toward the rear end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, wherein said compressed groove as a whole presents an elongated, continuous and closed loop which is longer in the longitudinal direction than it is wide in the transverse direction; the longitudinal center line intersects an imaginary line, which extends in the transverse direction and defines the minimum distance between the lateral groove segments, at an intersection that is adapted to be a target for a position of a wearer'"'"'s vaginal orifice in use; and said compressed groove is asymmetrical with respect to said imaginary line, with the front side curve being closer, in the longitudinal direction, to the imaginary line than the rear side curve; a distance between said rear ends of said lateral groove segments as measured in said transverse direction is in a range of 25 to 55 mm; a distance from said rear ends of said lateral groove segments to the rear end of the rear groove segment as measured in said longitudinal direction is in a range of 30 to 150 mm; and said absorbent layer comprises a bottom covering region which extends rearward from the rear end of said rear groove segment, has a thickness in a range of 1 to 5 mm, and is adapted to be folded along the longitudinal center line so that said bottom covering region can become convex, in use, toward a wearer; wherein a thickness of a majority of the absorbent layer within the closed-loop shape defined by the compressed groove decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction from the front groove segment to the rear groove segment. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a body-side surface, a clothes-side surface, longitudinally opposed front and rear ends and transversely opposite side edges, said article comprising:
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a liquid-absorbent layer, and a continuous groove compressed into the body-side surface of the liquid-absorbent layer, wherein; said compressed groove comprises; a pair of lateral groove segments extending substantially in said longitudinal direction and arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of said article, a front groove segment extending forward from respective front ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said front ends of said lateral groove segments together, said front groove segment defining a front side curve which is convex toward the front end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, and a rear groove segment extending rearward from respective rear ends of said lateral groove segments so as to connect said rear ends of said lateral groove segments together, said rear groove segment defining a rear side curve which is convex toward the rear end of the article and which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of said article, wherein said compressed groove as a whole presents an elongated, continuous and closed loop which is longer in the longitudinal direction than it is wide in the transverse direction; a thickness of the absorbent layer within the closed-loop shape defined by the compressed groove decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction from the front groove segment to the rear groove segment; and wherein the lateral groove segments are convex inwardly toward the longitudinal center line. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification