JP2024171157A - Pants-type absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pants-type absorbent article that can be made of a low number of components with a simple structure, is easily wearable, and is easily disposed of.SOLUTION: A pants-type absorbent article 10 comprises: an absorbent body 40 having a liquid permeable top sheet, a liquid impermeable back sheet and an absorber disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet; and an exterior body 20 including a laminate of nonwoven fabric. The exterior body 20 has a waist folding part 29 in which the exterior body is folded on an upper waist opening 25 side to the outer side over the entire circumferential region. Fastening parts 30 that are detachable from the surface of the exterior body 20 are disposed on both sides in a width direction of the front and back of the exterior body 20 on the inner peripheral surface of the waist folding part 29 of the exterior body 20. The waist folding part 29 of the exterior body 20 is fastened to the opposing surfaces of the exterior body 20 by the fastening parts 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to pants-type absorbent articles.

Pants-type disposable diapers (pants-type absorbent articles) become heavy after urination, so to prevent the disposable diaper from slipping down after urination, the elastic waist and waist area often have stronger tightening power than regular underwear pants. When putting on such pants-type disposable diapers, the waist area of the diaper is grasped and opened with the hands while pulling the diaper up to put it on, so if the waist area of the diaper is not grasped firmly with strong force, there is a risk that the hands will slip off. For this reason, it is recommended that the waist area of the diaper be folded over before putting it on so that it can be held firmly.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pull-on undergarment with a handle in the belt area to assist in application of the garment by either the wearer or a caregiver. Examples of handles that may be provided in the belt area of the pull-on undergarment include flaps, tabs, ridges, loops, holes, etc.

In addition, some pants-type disposable diapers are equipped with disposal tape that allows the diaper to be rolled up and kept in a rolled state when discarding the used diaper.

For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a pants-type diaper. This pants-type diaper is provided with a post-treatment tape that can be folded up into a small piece for disposal after use. The post-treatment tape has a tag portion and a main body portion, and is fixed to the back side portion. The tag portion is a portion of the post-treatment tape located at the end of the rear side in the longitudinal direction, and is a portion that is not coated with adhesive. The main body portion is a portion of the post-treatment tape other than the tag portion, and is a long, thin tape-like portion with adhesive applied to one side. When the post-treatment tape is not in use, the main body portion is folded into a strip that extends along the longitudinal direction, and when in use, the tag portion is pinched and pulled, stretching the main body portion and used as a tape.

Special Publication No. 2007-521929 JP 2020-108741 A

The pull-on underwear (pants-type absorbent article) described in Patent Document 1 has handles such as flaps, tabs, ridges, loops, and holes on the pants-type absorbent article, which can complicate the structure and increase the number of parts.

In the pants-type diaper (pants-type absorbent article) described in Patent Document 2, a post-treatment tape is used when disposing of the article, but depending on the size of the pants-type absorbent article, the length of the post-treatment tape may be insufficient, making it difficult to roll up and dispose of the article. In addition, when disposing of a used pants-type absorbent article, it is necessary to roll up the pants-type absorbent article and then stretch the treatment tape to secure it, which is a cumbersome task and increases the time spent in contact with the used pants-type absorbent article, making it unsanitary.

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a pants-type absorbent article that has a simple structure, can suppress an increase in the number of parts, is easy to wear, and is easy to dispose of.

In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention is a pants-type absorbent article comprising an absorbent main body having a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an exterior body formed by laminating a nonwoven fabric, the exterior body having a waist fold part in which the upper waist opening side is folded outward over the entire circumference, and fastening parts that can be attached to and detached from the surface of the exterior body are provided on both sides of the inner peripheral surface of the waist fold part of the exterior body in the front and rear width direction of the exterior body, and the waist fold part of the exterior body is fastened to the opposing surface of the exterior body by the fastening parts.

The second aspect of the present invention is a pants-type absorbent article according to the first aspect, in which the outer body has a waist gather portion that is disposed near the waist opening and extends in the width direction when the fastening by the fastening portion is released and the waist fold portion is spread upward, the vertical length of the fastening portion is 75% to 200% of the vertical length of the waist gather portion, and the width direction length of the fastening portion is 10% to 20% of the width direction length of the waist gather portion.

A third aspect of the present invention is a pants-type absorbent article according to the first or second aspect, wherein the fastening portion is a slip-prevention tape made of a polyolefin film, one side of which is adhered to the inner surface of the waist fold portion and the other side of which has hooks uniformly integrally molded thereon, and the engaging force with respect to the surface of the outer body is 3.0 N/ ^cm2 or more and 6.0 N/ ^cm2 or less.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is a pants-type absorbent article according to the first or second aspect, in which the vertical length of the waist fold is 30% to 50% of the vertical length of the side seal of the exterior body when the fastening by the fastening part is released and the waist fold is spread upward.

The present disclosure provides a pants-type absorbent article that has a simple structure, prevents an increase in the number of parts, and is easy to wear and dispose of.

1 is an external view of a pants-type absorbent article according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of a pants-type absorbent article in a non-folded state. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pants-type absorbent article in an unfolded state. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a used pants-type absorbent article is rolled up.

Below, we will explain a pants-type absorbent article according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

In this specification, wearing a pant-type absorbent article means a state in which the pant-type absorbent article is worn on the body, regardless of whether the body fluid is absorbed before, during, or after absorption. In addition, the "front side" means the direction that is the wearer's stomach side when the pant-type absorbent article is worn, and the "rear side" means the direction that is the wearer's back side. In addition, the "upper side" means the direction that is the wearer's head side when the pant-type absorbent article is worn, and the "lower side" means the direction that is the wearer's foot side. In addition, the left-right direction means the left-right direction as seen from a wearer facing forward. In addition, the longitudinal direction of each component of the pant-type absorbent article means the longitudinal direction in the unfolded state (the state shown in FIG. 4) before being molded into a pant shape, and is the direction along the arrow X in the figure. In addition, the width direction of each component of the pant-type absorbent article means the direction that intersects (is perpendicular to) the longitudinal direction in the unfolded state (the direction along the left and right), and is the direction along the arrow Y in the figure. The thickness direction of each component of a pants-type absorbent article refers to the direction in which the components are stacked, and refers to the direction along the arrow Z in the figure. The "skin side" refers to the direction in the thickness direction that faces the wearer's body when the pants-type absorbent article is worn, and the "non-skin side" refers to the direction opposite the skin side in the thickness direction. Body fluids refer to liquids discharged from the body to the outside, such as urine, blood, and water in loose stools.

Figure 1 is an external view of a pants-type absorbent article according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an external view of a pants-type absorbent article in an unfolded state. Figure 4 is a plan view of a pants-type absorbent article in an unfolded state. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in Figure 4. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a used pants-type absorbent article in a rolled-up state. Note that each figure does not stipulate the size relationship between the components of a pants-type absorbent article, and the dimensions of each component can be appropriately selected from a wide range depending on the purpose of the pants-type absorbent article, the age of the intended wearer, etc.

[Pants-type absorbent article]
As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a pants-type absorbent article 10 according to the present disclosure is, for example, a pants-type disposable paper diaper, and includes an exterior body 20 constituting a pants-type outer shape, and an absorbent body 40 that is supported by the exterior body 20 and absorbs bodily fluids. As shown in Figure 1, the pants-type absorbent article 10 according to the present embodiment is manufactured with the waist opening 25 (see Figure 3) side folded outward. When worn, the folded part can be spread out upward as shown in Figure 3.

When manufacturing the pants-type absorbent article 10, first, as shown in FIG. 4, various sheets are laminated to create a sheet-like member in a state before joining the side seal parts 24 described later. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right side seal parts 24 described later are joined to form the pants-type. Finally, the waist opening 25 side of the pants-type absorbent article 10 formed into the pants-type is folded back outward at the dashed line A part shown in FIG. 3, so that the waist opening 25 side is folded back as shown in FIG. 1, and the product is manufactured. In the following description, the state shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as the "folded back state", the state shown in FIG. 3 is referred to as the "non-folded back state", and the state shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as the "unfolded state".

[Exterior body]
As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the exterior body 20 is a member that constitutes the outer shape of the pants-type absorbent article 10 when worn. The exterior body 20 is formed by laminating nonwoven fabrics. For example, the exterior body 20 may be formed by laminating an exterior nonwoven fabric sheet on the non-skin side, an interior nonwoven fabric sheet on the skin side, and a plurality of elastic stretch members such as rubber threads interposed between the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet and the interior nonwoven fabric sheet. For the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet and the interior nonwoven fabric sheet, nonwoven fabrics such as thermal bond nonwoven fabric, air-through nonwoven fabric, and spunbond nonwoven fabric, preferably air-through nonwoven fabric or spunbond nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polyester, and polyethylene, can be used. Alternatively, the exterior body 20 may be a stretch nonwoven fabric obtained by sandwiching and bonding a stretch film (e.g., polyurethane film) between two nonwoven fabric sheets. In addition to the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet and the interior nonwoven fabric sheet, an auxiliary sheet that covers the periphery of the absorbent main body 40 may be provided in the exterior body 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dimension L1 in the longitudinal direction (direction along arrow X) of the outer body 20 in the unfolded state is preferably 500 mm or more and 900 mm or less. The dimension W1 in the width direction (direction along arrow Y) of the outer body 20 in the unfolded state is preferably 400 mm or more and 1000 mm or less. By setting the dimensions of the outer body 20 in the unfolded state within the above ranges, it is possible to provide pants-type absorbent articles 10 for adults in various sizes, such as S size, M size, and L size.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the exterior body 20 has a ventral region 21 located in front of the wearer's abdomen when worn, a dorsal region 22 located behind the wearer's back, and a crotch region 23 located between the wearer's crotch. The left and right ends of the ventral region 21 and the left and right ends of the dorsal region 22 are joined to each other (for example, joined to each other by ultrasonic bonding) to form left and right side seal portions 24. In this way, the exterior body 20 of this embodiment forms an overall pants-type outer shape as shown in Fig. 3 by joining the widthwise ends of the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 to each other with the left and right side seal portions 24. Note that, as described above, the exterior body 20 of the commercialized pants-type absorbent article 10 is folded back as shown in Fig. 1 by folding back the waist opening 25 side outward at a predetermined height position (height position indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 3) A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exterior body 20 in the unfolded state has a symmetrical shape. The ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 are positioned at positions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, and the crotch region 23 is located between the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22. The side seal portions 24 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 and extend along the longitudinal direction. An absorbent body 40 is joined to the skin side of the crotch region 23 of the exterior body 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer body 20 in the unfolded state has a waist opening 25 at the upper end through which the wearer's torso passes when worn, and left and right leg openings 26a, 26b through which the wearer's legs pass. The waist opening 25 is defined by the upper edges of the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 of the outer body 20 in the unfolded state, and is stretchable in the circumferential direction. The left and right leg openings 26a, 26b are defined by both left and right end edges of the crotch region 23, and are stretchable in the circumferential direction. The left and right side seal portions 24 extend vertically from the waist opening 25 to the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b.

As shown in FIG. 3, a waist gather portion 27 capable of stretching the waist opening 25 in the circumferential direction is provided in the vicinity of the waist opening 25 in the ventral region 21 and the back region 22 of the outer body 20 in the non-folded state (the upper end edge portion of the ventral region 21 and the back region 22 of the outer body 20 in the non-folded state). The waist gather portion 27 extends in the width direction with a predetermined vertical length L2. That is, the outer body 20 has a waist gather portion 27 arranged in the vicinity of the waist opening 25 in the non-folded state and extending in the width direction. The waist gather portion 27 extends over substantially the entire width of the ventral region 21 and the back region 22. The waist gather portion 27 has a plurality of elastic stretch members 27a that can stretch in the circumferential direction of the waist opening 25 along the circumferential direction of the waist opening 25. The plurality of elastic stretch members 27a are joined to the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet and the interior nonwoven fabric sheet that constitute the outer body 20. The elastic stretchable member 27a can be, for example, a thread-like, string-like, or flat-shaped material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or polyurethane.

At both left and right end edges of the crotch region 23, leg gathers 28 are provided that can stretch the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b in the circumferential direction. Elastic stretch members 28a that can stretch the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b in the circumferential direction are provided in the leg gathers 28 along the circumferential direction of the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b. The multiple elastic stretch members 28a are bonded to the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet and the interior nonwoven fabric sheet that constitute the exterior body 20. As the elastic stretch members 28a, for example, thread-like, string-like, or flat-shaped members made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, etc. can be used as appropriate.

(Waist cuff)
As shown in Fig. 1, the manufactured pants-type absorbent article 10 is in a folded-back state, and the exterior body 20 has a waist fold-back portion 29 formed by folding back the upper waist opening 25 (see Fig. 3) side outward over the entire periphery. That is, the waist fold-back portion 29 is formed by the area of the exterior body 20 in a non-folded state shown in Fig. 3 that is above a predetermined height position A that forms the fold. The waist fold-back portion 29 functions as a finger hook for hooking fingers when pulling up the pants-type absorbent article 10 when wearing it. An upper opening 31 is defined at the top of the pants-type absorbent article 10 in the folded-back state by the upper end portion of the waist fold-back portion 29.

2 and 3, the vertical length L3 of the waist fold 29 is preferably 30% to 50% of the vertical length L4 of the side seal 24 of the outer casing 20 in an unfolded state. If the vertical length L3 of the waist fold 29 is less than 30% of the vertical length L4 of the side seal 24, the waist fold 29 may not function adequately as a finger hook when pulling up the pants-type absorbent article 10. On the other hand, if the vertical length L3 of the waist fold 29 exceeds 50% of the vertical length L4 of the side seal 24, the lower end of the waist fold 29 may reach the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b, which may prevent the insertion of the legs into the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b.

(Fastening part)
As shown in Fig. 3, on both sides in the width direction of the area (area above the predetermined height position A) of the surfaces (outer surfaces) of the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 of the exterior body 20 in the non-folded state that will become the waist fold-up portion 29 when folded over, fastening parts 30 that can be attached and detached to the surface of the exterior body 20 are provided. In this manner, the fastening parts 30 are provided at a total of four locations, two locations on both sides in the width direction of the ventral region 21 and two locations on both sides in the width direction of the dorsal region 22. In this embodiment, the fastening parts 30 are disposed at height positions overlapping the waist gather portions 27 of the ventral region 21 and the dorsal region 22 of the exterior body 20. When the exterior body 20 in the non-folded state is folded over, the areas above the predetermined height position A of the exterior body 20 in the non-folded state are folded down and outward, so that the fastening parts 30 are fastened to the opposing areas of the surface of the exterior body 20. That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the folded-back state, the fastening parts 30 are provided on both sides of the inner circumferential surface 29a of the waist fold-up portion 29 of the exterior body 20 in the front and rear width direction of the exterior body 20, and the waist fold-up portion 29 is fastened to the opposing surface of the exterior body 20 by the fastening parts 30. On the other hand, when the folded-back exterior body 20 is to be put into an unfolded state, the fastening by the fastening parts 30 is released and the waist fold-up portion 29 is turned up, thereby changing the exterior body 20 from the folded-back state into an unfolded state (a state in which the waist fold-up portion 29 is spread upward). Note that, although the fastening parts 30 are provided in a total of four places in this embodiment, the fastening parts 30 may be provided in five or more places as long as the fastening parts 30 are provided in at least a total of four places.

The vertical length L5 of the fastening part 30 is preferably 75% to 200% of the vertical length L2 of the waist gather part 27. The widthwise length W2 of the fastening part 30 is preferably 10% to 20% of the widthwise length W3 of the waist gather part 27. If the dimensions of the fastening part 30 are below the above range, the fastening part 30 may not be able to sufficiently secure the engagement force (fastening force) with the surface of the outer body 20. On the other hand, if the dimensions of the fastening part 30 are above the above range, the stretchability of the waist gather part 27 of the pants-type absorbent article 10 may be hindered, reducing wearability and reducing the cosmetic quality of the pants-type absorbent article 10.

The fastening part 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is detachable from the surface of the exterior body 20, and examples thereof include an adhesive layer, an adhesive tape, and a slip-stop tape. Among these, the fastening part 30 is preferably a slip-stop tape made of a polyolefin film. The slip-stop tape made of a polyolefin film is a mechanical tape, one side of which is adhered to the inner circumferential surface 29a of the waist folded part 29, and the other side of which is uniformly and integrally formed with a hook (not shown). The engagement force of this slip-stop tape to the surface of the exterior body 20 (for example, the surface of the exterior nonwoven fabric sheet) is preferably 3.0 N/cm ² or more and 6.0 N/cm ² or less. If the engagement force of the slip-stop tape to the surface of the exterior body 20 is less than 3.0 N/cm ² , the engagement force may be insufficient to maintain the folded-up waist folded part 29, and the engagement force may be insufficient when disposing of the used pants-type absorbent article 10 described later, and the used pants-type absorbent article 10 may not be held in a rolled-up state. On the other hand, if the engagement force of the anti-slip tape on the surface of the exterior body 20 exceeds 6.0 N/ ^cm2 , some users may not be able to remove the anti-slip tape from the surface of the exterior body 20, and it may be difficult to remove the fastening part 30 from the folded-back state to the unfolded state. It is more preferable that the lower limit of the engagement force of the anti-slip tape on the surface of the exterior body 20 is 4.0 N/ ^cm2 or more, and the upper limit of the engagement force of the anti-slip tape on the surface of the exterior body 20 is 5.0 N/ ^cm2 or less.

The engagement force of the anti-slip tape (fastening portion) to the surface of the exterior body 20 described above can be measured by the following measurement method. The anti-slip tape is pressed onto the surface of the exterior body 20 to prepare a sample, which is then set in a Tensilon tensile tester and pulled at a tensile speed of 300 mm/min. The maximum strength at which the two separate is measured as the engagement force of the anti-slip tape to the surface of the exterior body 20. The engagement force of the anti-slip tape to the surface of the exterior body 20 may also be measured multiple times using the above measurement method, and the average value taken as the engagement force.

[Absorbent body]
4 and 5 , the absorbent body 40 is a member that mainly absorbs bodily fluids, has a generally belt-like shape in the front-to-rear direction that covers the crotch region of the wearer from the front, bottom, and back, and is disposed on the skin side of at least the crotch region 23 of the exterior body 20 and joined to the exterior body 20. The absorbent body 40 is mainly disposed on the skin side of the crotch region 23 of the exterior body 20, but a part of it (front and rear ends) may extend to the ventral region 21 or dorsal region 22 of the exterior body 20.

The longitudinal dimension L6 of the absorbent body 40 is preferably 300 mm or more and 500 mm or less. The widthwise dimension W4 of the absorbent body 40 is preferably 100 mm or more and 300 mm or less. By setting the dimensions of the absorbent body 40 within the above ranges, it is possible to provide pants-type absorbent articles 10 for adults in various sizes, such as S size, M size, and L size.

The absorbent body 40 has a liquid-permeable top sheet 41 on the skin side, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 42 on the non-skin side, and an absorbent body 43 disposed between the top sheet 41 and the back sheet 42. The shape of the absorbent body 40 is not particularly limited, and examples include a rectangular shape, an hourglass shape, an I-shape, a rectangular shape with rounded corners, an oval shape, an ellipse shape that is long in one direction, etc.

(Top sheet)
The top sheet 41 is a sheet-like substrate having such liquid permeability that bodily fluids move to the absorbent 43. Examples of the substrate include nonwoven fabrics such as thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics, composite nonwoven fabrics in which thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics/spunbonded nonwoven fabrics are laminated, perforated films such as perforated polyethylene films, foamed films such as polyethylene foams and urethane foams, or composite sheets in which these are laminated. In addition, the top sheet 41 may be embossed or perforated on the surface in order to improve liquid permeability. As a method for performing these embossing and perforation processes, known methods can be performed without limitation. In addition, in order to reduce irritation to the skin, the top sheet 41 may contain lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, moisturizers, etc.

(Back seat)
The back sheet 42 is a sheet-like substrate having liquid impermeability so that the body fluid held by the absorbent 43 does not leak to the non-skin side. Examples of the substrate include a resin film and a composite sheet in which a resin film and a nonwoven fabric are laminated. The nonwoven fabric used in the composite sheet is not particularly limited in manufacturing method, and examples thereof include composite nonwoven fabrics in which a plurality of the same and/or different nonwoven fabrics are laminated, such as spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric/meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric/meltblown nonwoven fabric/spunbond nonwoven fabric, and composite materials thereof. Examples of the resin film include polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene, polypropylene, and composite films of polyethylene and polypropylene. In addition, in order to prevent stuffiness during wearing, it is preferable that the back sheet 42 has breathability. In order to provide the back sheet 42 with breathability, for example, a filler may be blended into the resin film of the substrate, or the back sheet 42 may be embossed. As the filler, calcium carbonate can be used, and the method for blending the filler can be any known method without any restrictions.

(Absorbent)
The absorbent 43 includes a bodily fluid absorbing material, and preferably includes a base material and a bodily fluid absorbing material held by the base material. The bodily fluid absorbing material is not particularly limited as long as it absorbs and holds bodily fluids, and examples thereof include fluff pulp and highly absorbent resin (Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP)). The base material of the absorbent 43 is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used in absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, diapers, and urine pads, and is formed from materials such as fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, and hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Among these, fluff pulp is preferably used from the viewpoint of absorbency. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp, synthetic fiber, polymer fiber, non-wood pulp, etc., which have been defibrated into a cotton-like state.

There are no particular limitations on the SAP as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and examples of the SAP include those made from materials such as polyacrylates, polyaspartates, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymers, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymers, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymers, and saponified products thereof. Among these, polyacrylates are preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight, and sodium polyacrylates are more preferred. SAPs can be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

The absorbent 43 preferably contains a base material and SAP, and examples of its configuration include a base material formed by mixing SAP particles into the base material, and an SAP sheet with SAP particles fixed between the base materials. From the viewpoint of preventing the SAP particles from falling off and stabilizing the shape of the absorbent 43, it is preferable to wrap the absorbent 43 in a carrier sheet. SAP may also be formed into a fibrous form and mixed into the base material. The base material of the carrier sheet may be any material that has hydrophilicity, and examples of the base material include hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics such as tissue, absorbent paper, and airlaid nonwoven fabrics. When the absorbent 43 has multiple carrier sheets, the base materials of the carrier sheets may be the same or different.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the absorbent body 40 may include a pair of three-dimensional gathers 44 to prevent side leakage of bodily fluids. The three-dimensional gathers 44 may have their outer widthwise ends fixed to the skin-side surface of the backsheet 42 and their middle widthwise ends fixed to the skin-side surface of the topsheet 41, and their inner widthwise ends extending as free ends on the skin-side surface of the topsheet 41. By configuring the three-dimensional gathers 44 in this way, the free ends of the three-dimensional gathers 44 are given standing ability, making them deformable to fit the wearer's body shape.

(How to use)
Next, an example of a method of using the pants-type absorbent article 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

When putting on the pants-type absorbent article 10, the worker (which may be the wearer himself/herself or an assistant such as a caregiver) hooks his/her fingers into the waist fold 29 of the pants-type absorbent article 10 from below while maintaining the folded-over state of the product (the state shown in FIG. 1) and opens the upper opening 31 of the pants-type absorbent article 10. Next, the worker inserts the left and right legs through the opened upper opening 31 and inserts them into the left and right leg openings 26a, 26b. Next, while keeping his/her fingers hooked on the waist fold 29, the worker pulls the pants-type absorbent article 10 upward to a desired height position. Finally, the worker releases the fastening by the fastening part 30 and turns up the waist fold 29 upward, changing the pants-type absorbent article 10 from the folded-over state (the state shown in FIG. 1) to the non-folded state (the state shown in FIG. 3). This allows the wearer to put on the pants-type absorbent article 10. The pants-type absorbent article 10 may be worn in a folded state without being unfolded.

When disposing of a used pant-type absorbent article 10, the worker removes the used pant-type absorbent article 10 from the wearer, and then rolls up the used pant-type absorbent article 10 in the longitudinal direction from the crotch region 23 toward the upper waist opening 25 with the ventral region 21 (or the dorsal region 22) facing inward, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 3, to make the used pant-type absorbent article 10 into a small rolled-up state (see FIG. 6). When the used pant-type absorbent article 10 is rolled up, the fastening parts 30 on both sides in the width direction located near the waist opening 25 are fastened to the surface of the exterior body 20, as shown in FIG. 6, and the used pant-type absorbent article 10 is kept in a small rolled-up state. Finally, the worker disposes of the used pant-type absorbent article 10 in a small rolled-up state.

The pants-type absorbent article 10 configured as described above includes a waist fold 29 that is attached to the surface of the exterior body 20 by a fastening part 30. Therefore, when wearing the pants-type absorbent article 10, the wearer can hook his/her fingers on the waist fold 29, and the upper opening 31 of the pants-type absorbent article 10 in the folded state can be easily opened.

In addition, when putting on the pants-type absorbent article 10, the waist fold 29 can be hooked with the fingers, making it easy to pull up the pants-type absorbent article 10.

In addition, since the fastening parts 30 are provided on both sides in the front and rear width direction of the exterior body 20, when the used pant-type absorbent article 10 is to be disposed of, the fastening parts 30 can be automatically fastened to the surface of the exterior body 20 by rolling up the used pant-type absorbent article 10 from the crotch region 23 to the waist opening 25. Therefore, the used pant-type absorbent article 10 can be kept in a compact and packed state by the simple task of rolling up the used pant-type absorbent article 10 from the crotch region 23 to the waist opening 25.

In addition, by rolling up the used pant-type absorbent article 10 from the crotch region 23 to the waist opening 25, the used pant-type absorbent article 10 can be automatically kept in a compact, packed state, so that the time spent touching the used pant-type absorbent article 10 can be shortened, unlike when pulling out and wrapping a tape or the like after rolling up the used pant-type absorbent article 10. Therefore, the used pant-type absorbent article 10 can be disposed of hygienically.

The fastening portion 30 is used to hold the waist fold portion 29 in a folded state when worn, and is used to hold the used pant-type absorbent article 10 in a compact, folded state when discarding the used pant-type absorbent article 10. Therefore, unlike a case in which a member for holding the waist fold portion 29 in a folded state and a member for holding the used pant-type absorbent article 10 in a compact, folded state are separately provided, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts with a simple structure.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a pants-type absorbent article 10 that has a simple structure, prevents an increase in the number of parts, and is easy to wear and dispose of.

The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are naturally included in the scope of the present invention.

10: Pants-type absorbent article 20: Exterior body 24: Side seal portion 25: Waist opening 27: Waist gather portion 29: Waist folded-back portion 30: Fastening portion 40: Absorbent body 41: Top sheet 42: Back sheet 43: Absorbent body

Claims (4)

A pants-type absorbent article comprising an absorbent main body having a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an exterior body laminated with a nonwoven fabric,
The exterior body has a waist fold-back portion in which an upper waist opening side is folded back outward over the entire periphery,
a fastening portion that is detachable from a surface of the exterior body is provided on both sides of the inner circumferential surface of the waist folded portion of the exterior body in the front and rear width direction of the exterior body;
A pants-type absorbent article, characterized in that the waist folded portion of the exterior body is fastened to an opposing surface of the exterior body by the fastening portion. the exterior body has a waist gather portion that is disposed near the waist opening and extends in a width direction when the fastening by the fastening portion is released and the waist folded portion is spread upward,
The vertical length of the fastening portion is 75% or more and 200% or less of the vertical length of the waist gathered portion,
The pants-type absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the width direction length of the fastening portion is 10% to 20% of the width direction length of the waist gathered portion. The fastening portion is a slip-prevention tape made of a polyolefin film, one side of which is bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the waist folded portion, and the other side of which has hooks uniformly and integrally formed therewith;
The pants-type absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an engagement force with the surface of the exterior body is 3.0 N/cm ² or more and 6.0 N/cm ² or less. The pants-type absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vertical length of the waist fold-up portion is between 30% and 50% of the vertical length of the side seal portion of the outer casing when the fastening by the fastening portion is released and the waist fold-up portion is spread upward.