Absorbent wearing article and process of making the same

• US 8,057,451 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Otsubo, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kidwell; Michele M
• Application Number:
  US11/942,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.01, 604/385.09, 60438526-38527
• US Class Current: 604/385.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15593 having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15699 Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15739 Sealing, e.g. involving cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49011 the elastic means is located at the waist region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51458 being air-pervious or breathable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5146 having apertures of perforations
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51478 being a laminate, e.g. multi-layered or with several layers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51484 being inhomogeneous in the plane of the sheet, i.e. having zones of different properties or structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51496 having visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/8497 having decorations or indicia means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1056 Perforating lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1057 Subsequent to assembly of laminae
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1077 Applying plural cut laminae to single face of additional lamina

Abstract

An absorbent wearing article including an air permeable and liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-retentive absorbent structure placed on the backsheet. An outer sheet has having elastic members is placed on and bonded to a surface of the backsheet opposed to its surface bonded to the absorbent structure. The outer sheet has the elastic members intermittently bonded under tension thereto, and is formed in a region thereof facing the absorbent structure with an opening. The elastic members extend laterally under tension from a peripheral edge of the opening beyond the absorbent structure and the first backsheet is exposed through the opening.

Claims

1. An absorbent wearing article having a longitudinal center line, a longitudinal direction along said center line and a transverse direction orthogonal to said center line, comprising:

a front waist region having lateral edges and a longitudinal end;

a rear waist region having lateral edges and a longitudinal end;

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

an air permeable and liquid-impervious first backsheet;

a liquid-retentive absorbent structure placed on said first backsheet and extending in said longitudinal direction between longitudinal middle portions of said front and rear waist regions via said crotch region;

an outer sheet having an area larger than that of said first backsheet and an opening formed so as to extend in said longitudinal direction between said longitudinal middle portions of said front and rear waist regions and to be bisected by said center line in said transverse direction and defined by lateral edges and longitudinal ends wherein dimensions of said opening in said longitudinal and transverse directions are smaller than those of said absorbent structure;

a plurality of elastic members extending in said lateral direction under tension in said front and rear waist regions, wherein some of said elastic members extend between lateral edges of said opening and lateral edges of said front and rear waist regions, and remaining some of said elastic members extend continuously between said lateral edges of said front and rear waist regions as well as between each of said longitudinal ends of said front and rear waist regions and each of said longitudinal ends of said opening;

said outer sheet comprising a second backsheet bonded to said first backsheet and an outer covering sheet bonded to an outer surface of said second backsheet wherein said elastic members are sandwiched between said second backsheet and said outer sheet;

said first and second backsheets being bonded to each other at least along a periphery of said opening defined by said lateral edges and said longitudinal ends of said opening; and

a graphic printed on said first backsheet in said opening in a vicinity of at least one of said front and rear waist regions; and

a liquid-pervious topsheet bonded on said absorbent structure and said second backsheet.

2. The absorbent wearing article according to claim 1, wherein said opening comprises a plurality of openings.