Absorbent article

• US 8,237,012 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Miyama, Takuya, Kudo, Jun, Habu, Chiemi, Nishikawa, Kumiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Deak, Leslie
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARCETICH, ADAM M
• Application Number:
  US11/533,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 604/379, 604/380, 604/383, 604/385.01, 604/385.23, 604/385.101, 604/378, 604/317, 604/358
• US Class Current: 604/378
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4704 having preferential bending zones, e.g. fold lines or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4756 the means consisting of grooves, e.g. channels, depressions or embossments, resulting in a heterogeneous surface level

Abstract

An absorbent article having a substantially oblong shape, which is superior in liquid-proof performance and fitness, includes a liquid permeable top sheet, a back sheet, an absorbent body having elasticity disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, and a compressed portion compressing the top sheet and the absorbent body. The compressed portion is disposed continuously to form a protrusion in a longitudinal direction to define a substantially U shape. The absorbent portion has a low elasticity portion, disposed on one part of the absorbent body, and formed so that elasticity weakens when compression to a prescribed thickness is carried out. The low elasticity portion is disposed in the vicinity of an end protruding the most in the longitudinal direction of the substantially U shape.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a substantially oblong shape comprising:

a liquid permeable top sheet;

a back sheet;

an absorbent body having elasticity, disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet; and

compressed portions compressing the top sheet and the absorbent body and comprising a first compressed portion and a second compressed portion disposed at an outer side of the first compressed portion,

wherein the first compressed portion is disposed continuously so as to form a substantially U-shaped portion protruding in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article, the substantially U-shaped portion being formed in a vicinity of an edge portion of the absorbent body and fixing the top sheet to the absorbent body by pressure bonding at substantially one point in an end of the substantially U-shaped portion that protrudes most in the longitudinal direction while not fixing the top sheet to the absorbent body in a portion other than at the one point, and, in a region including the end of the substantially U-shaped portion, the first and second portions extend substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction and in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,

the absorbent body comprising;

a low elasticity portion, disposed on a part of the absorbent body and formed so that resiliency weakens when compression to a prescribed thickness is carried out,

wherein the low elasticity portion occupies a predetermined region including the end of said U-shaped portion and is formed to be substantially around the end of the substantially U-shaped portion that protrudes most in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the low elasticity portion is thinner than an adjacent portion adjacent thereto and thinner than an average thickness of the absorbent body, and an amount of absorbent material forming the low elasticity portion is less than the amount of absorbent material in the adjacent portion.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the low elasticity portion is 0.8 or less times the average weight of the absorbent body.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the low elasticity portion is formed by pressing under a normal or increased temperature.

4. The absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising a second sheet disposed between the top sheet and the absorbent body, and formed from a plurality of liquid permeable sheets being laminated, wherein the second sheet has a plurality of embossed compressed portions in the vicinity of the end.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the second compressed portion is disposed continuously along an outer periphery in the width direction at the end of the absorbent article, so as to form a straight or a curved line in the longitudinal direction.

6. An absorbent article having a substantially oblong shape comprising:

a liquid permeable top sheet;

a back sheet;

an absorbent body having elasticity, disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet; and

a compressed portion compressing the top sheet and the absorbent body forming a groove configured to inhibit the passage of liquid from one portion of the absorbent body to another portion of the absorbent body, said groove defining a closed elongated shape,

the absorbent body comprising;

a front side in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent body;

a rear side in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body opposing the front side;

a center portion disposed between the front side and the rear side substantially center of the absorbent body in a width direction;

wherein the rear side of the absorbent body is lower than the center portion in a thickness direction,

a first low elasticity portion, disposed on a part of the absorbent body between the center portion and the rear side and formed so that resiliency weakens when compression to a prescribed thickness is carried out, as compared to the resiliency generated in an adjacent portion, and

a second low elasticity portion disposed opposite to the first low elasticity portion in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,

wherein an end of the elongated shape defined by said groove forms a substantially U shape protruding in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,

wherein the first low elasticity portion is substantially circular in shape, has a diameter of 10 to 50 mm, and is substantially centered with respect to a bottom end of said U shape and with respect to a width direction of the absorbent article,

wherein each of the first and second low elasticity portions is formed to be recessed from a surface of the top sheet, to have a bottom face surrounded by a side wall, and so that the weight of absorbent material forming the absorbent body portion in each low elasticity portion is less than the weight of absorbent material in the adjacent portion,

wherein each of the first and second low elasticity portions is lower than the center portion in a thickness direction of the absorbent body, and lower than the rear side of the absorbent body,

wherein a front edge of the first low elasticity portion is higher than a rear edge of the first low elasticity portion in the thickness direction of the absorbent body,

wherein the side wall of each low elasticity portion is inclined down ward from the front edge and the rear edge toward the bottom face,

wherein a compression maintenance index at the end is greater than or equal to 80, and

wherein the first low elasticity portion has a thickness of 2.5 mm or less at a position 4 mm away in a longitudinal direction from the end.