Disposable wearing article

• US 8,029,486 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Mishima, Yoshitaka, Nakajima, Kaiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephens; Jacqueline F
• Application Number:
  US12/469,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20090234316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.19, 604/385.3, 604/385.12, 604/385.04
• US Class Current: 604/385.19
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4915 specially adapted for male use
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/495 with faecal cavity
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4953 with rear faecal part separate from front urinary part
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4956 with vertical spacer or separator keeping other components out of contact

Abstract

A disposable wearing article is provided with a skin-contactable panel laid in a front half of a crotch region of the article and a liquid-impervious partition laid in a vicinity of a transverse center line of the article. The panel has transversely opposite side edges bonded to transverse opposite side portion of the article and a intermediate region defined between these side edges. The partition has an upper edge bonded to the panel, a lower edge bonded to a topsheet of the article transversely opposite side edges bonded to the side portions of the article and a middle portion defined between the upper and lower edges. The intermediate region of the panel describes an upward convex circular arc above the topsheet and the middle portion of the partition is unfolded in a thickness direction of the article so as to form a pocket-like barrier against movement of bodily wastes.

Claims

1. A disposable wearing article, comprising:

a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region extending between said two waist regions in a longitudinal direction of the article,

longitudinally opposite end portions extending across said waist regions in a transverse direction of the article, and transversely opposite side portions extending between said front and rear waist regions in the longitudinal direction,

a liquid-pervious topsheet adapted to face a wearer'"'"'s skin in use, a liquid-impervious backsheet adapted to face away from the wearer'"'"'s skin in use,

a pair of leak-barrier cuffs laid on said topsheet and extending between said front and rear waist regions, and

a liquid-absorbent core interposed between said topsheet and backsheets, and extending between said front and rear waist regions,

wherein said leak-barrier cuffs have

proximal portions bonded to said opposite side portions of the article so as to extend in the longitudinal direction,

distal portions extending in the longitudinal direction and normally biased to rise up above said topsheet, and

longitudinally opposite end portions collapsed in the transverse direction and bonded to said longitudinally opposite end portions of the article in such a collapsed state,

said article further comprising;

stretchable elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction and contractibly bonded to said distal portions of said leak-barrier cuffs,

a skin-contactable panel extending between said leak-barrier cuffs in the transverse direction and being laid on said topsheet in at least a front half of said crotch region, wherein said crotch region is divided by a transverse center line bisecting a longitudinal dimension of said article into said front half and a rear half, and

a partition interposed between said topsheet and said panel, and extending between said leak-barrier cuffs in the transverse direction in a vicinity of said transverse center line,

wherein

said panel has transversely opposite side edges bonded to the distal potions of said leak-barrier cuffs, respectively, and an intermediate region defined between said side edges,

said partition has an upper edge bonded to said panel, a lower edge bonded to said topsheet, and a middle portion between said upper and lower edges, said middle portion being folded at least into two in a thickness direction of said article to form a barrier against bodily wastes between said topsheet and said panel,

wherein said panel is formed from at least one water-absorbent sheet.

2. The wearing article defined by claim 1,

wherein said panel further comprises an absorbent core material wrapped with said water-absorbent sheet, and

wherein said absorbent core material is at least one of a fibrous absorbent core and a foam material containing therein a plurality of cells.

3. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein

said water-absorbent sheet is adapted to face the wearer'"'"'s skin in use, and

said panel is further formed from

a liquid-impervious sheet adapted to face away from the wearer'"'"'s skin in use, and

an absorbent core material interposed between said water-absorbent sheet and said liquid-impervious sheet, and

said absorbent core material is at least one of a fibrous absorbent core and a foam material containing therein a plurality of cells.

4. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein

said panel and said partition are laid between said leak-barrier cuffs,

the intermediate region of said panel is bonded directly to the distal portions of said leak-barrier cuffs, respectively, and

said intermediate region of said panel is spaced upward from said topsheet as said distal portions of said leak-barrier cuffs rise up under contraction of said elastic members so that the middle portion of said partition extends upwardly in the thickness direction of the article between said topsheet and said panel to define said barrier.

5. The wearing article defined by claim 1, further comprising an elastically stretchable spacer extending in the transverse direction and being interposed in a stretched state between said topsheet and said panel,

wherein said spacer has

transversely opposite ends bonded to the side edges of said panel, respectively, and

an intermediate portion defined between said transversely opposite side edges,

wherein, under a contractile force of said spacer, the transversely opposite ends are drawn toward each other in the transverse direction of said article while the intermediate region of said panel is spaced upward from said topsheet to define an upward convex arc so that the middle portion of said partition extends upwardly in the thickness direction of the article between said topsheet and said panel to define said barrier,

wherein said partition is entirely located in the front half of said crotch region;

and

wherein said spacer is entirely located forward of said partition in the longitudinal direction.

6. The wearing article defined by claim 5, wherein said spacer is completely located below said panel and has a maximum dimension measured in the longitudinal direction of the article smaller than that of said panel.

7. The wearing article defined by claim 5, wherein the intermediate portion of the spacer is free of direct attachment to said panel and said topsheet and is located between and spaced from said panel and topsheet when the spacer contracts.

8. The wearing article defined by claim 5, wherein the transversely opposite ends of said spacer are disposed between and bonded to the transversely opposite side portions of said article and the proximal portions of the leak-barrier cuffs, respectively.

9. The wearing article defined by claim 1, wherein

said middle portion of the partition is repeatedly folded multiple times in the thickness direction of said article to define a bellows structure, and

the middle portion that defines said bellows structure is entirely free of direct attachment to both the panel and the topsheet.

10. The wearing article defined by claim 9, wherein said bellows structure is completely located between the panel and the topsheet as seen in the thickness direction.

11. The wearing article defined by claim 10, wherein said bellows structure comprises 4 or more folds.