Absorbent article

• US 8,449,517 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Ueda, Junko, Mitsui, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Lynne
• Assistant Examiner(s): DITMER, KATHRYN ELIZABETH
• Application Number:
  US12/933,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.01, 60438521-3853, 604392-397
• US Class Current: 604/385.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49011 the elastic means is located at the waist region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51496 having visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15243 printed or coloured, e.g. to match skin

Abstract

An absorbent article includes a rear waist region provided with a waist region elastic member attached thereto under tension. The waist region elastic member is formed with a plurality of slits each extending in a longitudinal direction and extending through the elastic member in a thickness direction thereof. The waist region elastic member is stretched in a transverse direction as the diaper is put on the wearer'"'"'s body and thereupon the slits are opened up to form respective through-holes. A first graphics display region formed in combination with the slits includes note stems and note tails. Each of these note stems is contiguous to the associated through-holes. In the area nearer a crotch region than the first graphics display region, a second graphics display region is formed. The first and second graphics display regions cooperate to each other.

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising a chassis having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a skin-facing side, a garment-facing side, a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between said front and rear waist regions, these three regions arranged continuously in said longitudinal direction;

and a waist region elastic member attached under tension along an end of at least one of said front and rear waist regions, wherein;

said waist region elastic member includes slits extending in said longitudinal direction therethrough in its thickness direction and said slits are adapted to be stretched in said transverse direction under the effect of said waist region elastic member to form through-holes; and

said waist region elastic member further includes a first graphics display region defined on said garment-facing side in combination with respective peripheries of said slits so that said first graphics display region cooperates with said through-holes to form a graphic art.

2. The absorbent article defined by claim 1 further including a second graphics display region defined on the garment-facing side of said front and/or rear waist region and formed with said slits and a graphic art meaningfully related with the graphic art in said first graphics display region is displayed in said second graphics display region.

3. The absorbent article defined by claim 1 wherein said chassis includes an inner sheet defining a skin-facing side and an outer sheet defining a garment-facing side and wherein said waist region elastic member is sandwiched between said inner and outer sheets and said through-holes extend through said inner and outer sheets also in the thickness direction thereof.

4. The absorbent article defined by claim 1 wherein said first and second graphics display regions are formed on said front waist region.