JP3248433U - Individually packaged absorbent articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an individually wrapped absorbent article that maintains a good appearance.
[Solution] The individual package of the absorbent article comprises an absorbent article 11 having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-rear direction of a wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular thereto, and a packaging sheet 12 joined to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent article, and the absorbent article and packaging sheet are folded vertically around a first fold extending in the horizontal direction and a second fold behind the first fold as folding axes. The absorbent article comprises, in order from the skin-facing side, a top sheet 2, an absorbent layer 7, a compression-recovery layer 8, and a back sheet 3, and has a compressed groove 20 in which the top sheet and the absorbent layer are compressed together from the skin-facing side, and is divided from the front side into a front region, a central region, and a rear region by the first fold and the second fold. The compression-recovery layer is provided only in the central region, and includes a non-compressed region 82 that is not compressed together with the top sheet and the absorbent layer on the non-skin-facing side of the portion overlapping with the compression groove in a plan view.
[Selected figure] Figure 4

Description

This invention relates to an individually packaged absorbent article in which absorbent articles are individually packaged.

Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins have a structure in which an absorbent body that absorbs excrement such as menstrual blood is provided between a top sheet that is placed on the wearer's skin side and a back sheet that is placed on the non-skin side. A known form of individually packaged absorbent article is one in which an exterior material such as a packaging sheet is placed on the back sheet side and folded longitudinally for individual packaging.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a packaging structure for an absorbent article that is folded at two folds. The absorbent body of this absorbent article is configured to have side edges that are parallel to the longitudinal direction in the region between the two folds. This reduces unevenness in the thickness direction caused by differences in absorbent body width, and makes it less likely for wrinkles caused by differences in absorbent body width to occur on the back side of the packaging structure.

On the other hand, absorbent articles are generally provided with compressed grooves that integrally press the top sheet and absorbent body. The compressed grooves form unevenness in the thickness direction of the absorbent article. By providing compressed grooves, various effects are expected, such as preventing lateral leakage of the absorbent article and improving the shape retention of the entire product. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which an area in which fiber agglomerates are localized is provided in the absorbent body, and the area is sandwiched between compressed grooves (recesses) extending laterally to the front and rear, thereby suppressing the movement of the fiber agglomerates. Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a pair of compressed grooves (first vertical recesses) extending vertically are provided in the rear area behind the excretory area, and the spacing between the compressed grooves is shortened toward the rear, thereby improving the fit.

JP 2015-173898 A JP 2022-54307 A JP 2023-95512 A

For example, when multiple individual packages are stored in one storage bag, or when individual packages are stored in a carrying pouch or the like, it is conceivable that a compressive force will be applied to the flat surface of each individual package. In this case, the compression grooves provided in the absorbent article will be pressed against the packaging sheet, and wrinkles may occur on the back surface of the individual package in accordance with the unevenness of the compression grooves. This impairs the good appearance of the individual package.

The objective of this invention is to maintain the good appearance of the individually wrapped absorbent article.

An individual package for an absorbent article in one embodiment of the present invention comprises an absorbent article having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-back direction of a wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a packaging sheet joined to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent article, and is configured by folding the absorbent article and the packaging sheet in the vertical direction around a first folding portion extending in the horizontal direction and a second folding portion provided behind the first folding portion and extending in the horizontal direction as folding axes.
The absorbent article comprises, in order from the skin-facing side, a top sheet, an absorbent layer, a compression recovery layer, and a back sheet, and has a compression groove where the top sheet and the absorbent layer are squeezed together from the skin-facing side, and is divided, in order from the front side, into a front region, a central region, and a rear region by the first folding portion and the second folding portion.
The compression recovery layer is provided only in the central region, and further includes a non-compressed region on the non-skin side of the portion that overlaps with the compression groove in a planar view, which is not compressed integrally with the top sheet and the absorbent layer.

As described above, the individual packaging of the absorbent article of the present invention allows the appearance of the individual packaging to be maintained in good condition.

1 is a plan view of an individually wrapped absorbent article according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the skin side after being opened and unfolded. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state before the individual package of the absorbent article of FIG. 1 is opened. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. 4 is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the absorbent article folded along a first fold line and a second fold line. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of main body adhesive parts in the central region. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the range of a central region in a long-length absorbent article.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

<Overall structure of individual package>
The individual package 10 of the absorbent article shown in Figs. 1 and 2 includes an absorbent article 11 and a packaging sheet 12. Hereinafter, the "individual package of the absorbent article" will be referred to as the "individual package". The individual package 10 is formed by folding the absorbent article 11 and the packaging sheet 12 together. The individual package 10 also includes a tab tape T as a structure for maintaining the folded shape. In this embodiment, the absorbent article 11 is formed as a sanitary napkin. Hereinafter, the absorbent article 11 will also be referred to as the napkin 11. The individual package 10 is an article in which the napkin 11 is individually packaged using the packaging sheet 12 and the tab tape T.

As shown in FIG. 1, the napkin 11 has a vertical direction X corresponding to the front-to-back direction of the wearer, and a horizontal direction Y corresponding to the left-to-right direction of the wearer and perpendicular to the vertical direction X. The vertical direction X is the length direction of the napkin 11, and the horizontal direction Y is the width direction of the napkin 11. Furthermore, the napkin 11 has a thickness direction Z perpendicular to both the vertical direction X and the horizontal direction Y. In this specification, with respect to the thickness direction Z of the napkin 11, the side closer to the wearer's skin may be referred to as the upper or skin-facing side, and the side closer to the underwear of the wearer may be referred to as the lower or non-skin-facing side. In this specification, "plan view" means a plan view seen from the thickness direction Z. In this specification, "outside in the horizontal direction Y" means away from the vertical center line CL that bisects the horizontal direction Y of the napkin 11 in the horizontal direction Y.

The packaging sheet 12 is a sheet-like exterior material that forms the outer surface of the individual package 10, and is joined to the non-skin-facing side of the napkin 11. Hereinafter, the surface of the packaging sheet 12 that forms the outer surface of the individual package 10 will be referred to as the outer surface 12a of the packaging sheet 12, and the surface opposite to the outer surface 12a of the packaging sheet 12 will be referred to as the inner surface 12b. The inner surface 12b is the surface that is joined to the non-skin-facing side of the napkin 11.
As described later, a main body adhesive part 16 is provided on the non-skin facing side of the napkin 11 as a fixing part 15 for adhering the napkin 11 to an undergarment (see FIG. 3 ). The inner surface 12b of the packaging sheet 12 is configured so as to be peelable from the main body adhesive part 16. The packaging sheet 12 is joined to the napkin 11 by adhering the inner surface 12b to the main body adhesive part 16.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the packaging sheet 12 is configured in a rectangular shape that is long in the vertical direction X in a plan view seen from the thickness direction Z.
As the packaging sheet 12, various types of packaging sheets conventionally used for absorbent articles can be used without any particular limitation, such as a resin film, a nonwoven fabric, paper, etc. Such packaging sheets 12 generally have a lower rigidity than the absorbent body constituting the napkin 11, and can be easily folded into a shape that conforms to the napkin.

The length of the packaging sheet 12 in the vertical direction X is set to be greater than the length of the napkin 11. A tab tape T is attached to the outer surface 12a of the packaging sheet 12, protruding from the front end in the vertical direction X. The length of the packaging sheet 12 in the vertical direction X may be shorter than that of the napkin 11, so long as the napkin 11 is not exposed when folded into the individual package 10. The length of the packaging sheet 12 in the horizontal direction Y is set to be greater than the length of the napkin 11 in the horizontal direction Y when a pair of wings W, described below, are folded.

The individual package 10 is constructed by folding the napkin 11 and packaging sheet 12 in the vertical direction X around a first folding portion L1 extending in the horizontal direction Y and a second folding portion L2 located behind the first folding portion L1 and extending in the horizontal direction Y as folding axes. Here, the first folding portion L1 and the second folding portion L2 are fold lines for folding the napkin 11 and packaging sheet 12. The first folding portion L1 is disposed on the front end side of the napkin 11 in the vertical direction X (toward the wearer's abdomen), and the second folding portion L2 is disposed on the rear end side of the napkin 11 in the vertical direction X (toward the wearer's back).

The napkin 11 is divided into a front region M1, a central region M2, and a rear region M3, in that order from the front side, by a first folded portion L1 and a second folded portion L2.
The central region M2 is a region sandwiched between the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2. The central region M2 includes an excretory part facing region that faces the excretory part of the wearer when worn. In other words, the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2 are arranged such that the excretory part facing region is included in the central region M2 therebetween. The excretory part facing region is located at the center of the central region M2 in the lateral direction Y. When the absorbent article is a napkin 11, the excretory part is the vaginal opening.
The front region M1 is a region from the front end of the napkin 11 in the longitudinal direction X to the first folded portion L1.
The rear region M3 is a region from the second folded portion L2 to the rear end of the napkin 11 in the longitudinal direction X.
Thus, in this embodiment, the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2 define three regions M1, M2, and M3 for the napkin 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the napkin 11 includes a main body M and a pair of wings W.
The main body M extends in a strip shape along the vertical direction X, and is fixed to the inner surface of the wearer's underwear when worn. The main body M has a function of absorbing liquids (hereinafter also referred to as "liquid") such as menstrual blood of the wearer. The main body M is divided into the above-mentioned front region M1, central region M2, and rear region M3. Of these, the central region M2 of the main body M includes the excretory part facing region.

The pair of wings W extend outward in the lateral direction Y from the central region M2 of the main body M. As shown in Fig. 1, when the individual package 10 is in an unfolded state, the pair of wings W protrude outward from the packaging sheet 12 in the lateral direction Y. Furthermore, wing adhesive portions 17 are provided on the non-skin facing sides of the pair of wings W as fixing portions 15 described later (see Fig. 3).
The wings W extend outward in the lateral direction Y from the underwear between the wearer's crotch and are folded inward and fixed to the outer surface of the underwear by the wing adhesive parts 17. This makes it possible to prevent the central region M2 of the main body M from shifting out of the wearer's crotch.

In the individual package 10 according to this embodiment, a pair of wings W are folded in the horizontal direction Y with a pair of vertical folding parts LV extending in the vertical direction X as folding axes. The vertical folding parts LV are folding lines for folding each wing W inside the napkin 11. The vertical folding parts LV are typically arranged so that they are on the outside in the horizontal direction Y of the side edge along the vertical direction X of the absorbent 4 described below, and on the inside in the horizontal direction Y of the side edge along the vertical direction X of the packaging sheet 12. This allows the pair of wings W to be stored inside the packaging sheet 12 without folding the absorbent 4 in the vertical direction X. Note that the pair of wings W do not necessarily need to be provided, and the present invention can also be applied to a type of napkin that does not have wings W.

Here, we will explain how to fold the individual package 10. As shown in Figure 1, before folding the individual package 10, the napkin 11 is placed with its non-skin side facing approximately in the center of the inner surface 12b of the packaging sheet 12, and the packaging sheet 12 and the napkin 11 are peelably joined via the main body adhesive part 16. This forms a laminate of the packaging sheet 12 and the napkin 11.

Furthermore, before folding the individual package 10 in the vertical direction X, a pair of wings W provided on the napkin 11 are each folded toward the skin-facing side of the main body M, with a pair of vertical folding portions LV as folding axes. When the main body M is viewed from the skin-facing side in this state, the wing adhesive portions 17 provided on the non-skin-facing side of each wing W are visible. To prevent the wing adhesive portions 17 from adhering to unnecessary areas, for example, a release sheet (not shown) is attached so as to cover the wing adhesive portions 17.
The step of folding the pair of wings W may be performed before joining the napkin 11 to the packaging sheet 12 or after joining the napkin 11 to the packaging sheet 12 .

Next, with the pair of wings W folded, the laminate of the packaging sheet 12 and the napkin 11 is folded in the vertical direction X. In this embodiment, first, the laminate of the napkin 11 and the packaging sheet 12 is folded such that the rear region M3 is folded onto the central region M2 with the second fold L2 as the folding axis. Next, the front region M1 is folded onto the central region M2 with the first fold L1 as the folding axis. As a result, the front region M1 is folded onto a part of the rear region M3 that is folded onto the central region M2. Then, the tab tape T fixed to the front region M1 is peelably adhered to the packaging sheet 12 in the rear region M3. As a result, the napkin 11 is folded in thirds in the vertical direction X, and the individual package 10 shown in FIG. 2 is formed.

<Overall configuration of absorbent article>
1 and 3, the napkin 11 comprises a topsheet 2, an absorbent body 4, a backsheet 3, a pair of side sheets 9, and a fixing part 15. In the main body M, the napkin 11 has a configuration in which the backsheet 3, the absorbent body 4, and the topsheet 2 are laminated in the thickness direction Z. These components are appropriately joined and integrated, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, by bonding with an adhesive or heat sealing, or by compression processing using each compressed groove 20 (a pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a, a pair of second vertical compressed grooves 20b, a first horizontal compressed groove 20c, and a second horizontal compressed groove 20d) described below.

The top sheet 2 is disposed above the absorbent body 4 in the thickness direction Z. A pair of side sheets 9 extend in the vertical direction X and are disposed on both the left and right sides of the top sheet 2. The side sheets 9 are provided across both the left and right sides of the main body M and the wings W. The side sheets 9 are joined to the top sheet 2 by, for example, an adhesive 14. The back sheet 3 is disposed below the absorbent body 4 in the thickness direction Z. The back sheet 3 is provided across the entire main body M and the wings W. Both the top sheet 2 and the side sheets 9 are located on the back sheet 3. The back sheet 3 is joined to the top sheet 2 and the side sheets 9, for example, at its periphery, by an adhesive, heat sealing, or the like.

The top sheet 2 is made of a sheet material with high liquid permeability so that liquids such as menstrual blood can be easily taken in from the top surface, while the back sheet 3 and the side sheets 9 are made of sheet materials with low liquid permeability so that liquids taken in from the top sheet 2 are less likely to leak out.
The top sheet 2, back sheet 3, and side sheet 9 may be the same as those conventionally used in the relevant technical field, without any particular restrictions. For example, the top sheet 2 may be a liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric or a perforated film. The back sheet 3 may be a liquid-impermeable film made of synthetic resin, or a water-repellent nonwoven fabric having high water pressure resistance, such as a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminated nonwoven fabric. The side sheet 9 may be a water-repellent nonwoven fabric having high water pressure resistance, such as a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminated nonwoven fabric.

The fastening part 15 is provided on the non-skin facing side of the backsheet 3 and fastens the napkin 11 to the wearer's underwear. The fastening part 15 has a main body adhesive part 16 and a wing adhesive part 17.
The main body adhesive portion 16 is an adhesive member for adhering the main body M to the inner surface of the crotch part of the underwear. The main body adhesive portion 16 is provided in an area of the non-skin facing side of the back sheet 3 that overlaps with the main body M in a plan view. The main body adhesive portion 16 functions as an anti-slip material that fixes the main body M to prevent it from slipping relative to the underwear.
The wing adhesive portions 17 are adhesive members for adhering the pair of folded wings W to the outer surface of the crotch part of the underwear when the napkin 11 is worn in the underwear. The wing adhesive portions 17 are provided on the non-skin facing side of the backsheet 3 in areas overlapping with each wing W in a plan view.
For the main body adhesive portion 16 and the wing adhesive portion 17, any means that has traditionally been used to fasten this type of absorbent article to clothing such as shorts can be used without any particular restrictions, and for example, a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a pressure-sensitive adhesive, etc. can be used.

The absorbent body 4 extends along the longitudinal direction X and is disposed between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3. The absorbent body 4 is disposed in the main body M of the napkin 11, and absorbs liquids such as bodily fluids from the surface facing the top sheet 2, and retains the liquid by diffusing it internally. The absorbent body 4 of this embodiment retains liquid and is capable of maintaining a good fit even after the liquid has been retained after wearing. The absorbent body 4 will be described below.

<Construction of absorbent body>
As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent body 4 includes an absorbent layer 7, a compression recovery layer 8, and a core wrap sheet 6. The absorbent layer 7 is a layer that mainly absorbs and retains liquid, and is disposed on the skin side of the absorbent body 4. The compression recovery layer 8 is a layer that contributes to improving the flexibility, cushioning, compression recovery, and shape retention of the absorbent body 4, and is disposed on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 4. The core wrap sheet 6 is a sheet-like member that integrally wraps the laminate in which the absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer 8 are laminated. In this figure, the periphery of each of the absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer 8 is drawn to be surrounded by a solid line, but this is a line drawn for convenience to clearly show the range of each layer, and is not surrounded by a specific member. In addition, it is drawn as if there is a gap between both sides of the absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer 8 in the lateral direction Y and the core wrap sheet 6, but this is drawn for convenience to clearly show the relationship between each layer and the core wrap sheet 6, and in reality, there is no gap.

Thus, the napkin 11 is configured to include, in order from the skin-facing side, the top sheet 2, the absorbent layer 7, the compression-recovery layer 8, and the back sheet 3. Of these, the absorbent body 4, which includes the absorbent layer 7 and the compression-recovery layer 8, is disposed in the main body M of the napkin 11. Therefore, the main body M can also be said to be the part of the napkin 11 where the absorbent layer 7 and the compression-recovery layer 8 are disposed. The configuration of each part of the absorbent body 4 will be explained below.

[Absorption layer]
1 , the absorbent layer 7 has a shape that is long in one direction in a plan view, and is provided across the front region M1, central region M2, and rear region M3 of the napkin 11. The longitudinal direction of the absorbent layer 7 coincides with the vertical direction X of the napkin 11, and the short side direction (width direction) coincides with the horizontal direction Y of the napkin 11. The outer shape of the absorbent layer 7 in a plan view is the same as that of the absorbent body 4.
The absorbent layer 7 has a front edge 7F formed in an arc shape that convex forward in the longitudinal direction X, and a rear edge 7R formed in a tapered shape that narrows toward the rear in the longitudinal direction X. The front edge 7F and the rear edge 7R are connected via a pair of side edges 7S extending in the longitudinal direction X. Hereinafter, the front edge 7F, the rear edge 7R, and the pair of side edges 7S of the absorbent layer 7 may be described as the shape of the absorbent body 4.

The absorbent layer 7 contains a water-absorbent material and absorbs and retains liquid. Examples of the water-absorbent material include water-absorbent fibers and highly water-absorbent polymers, and these may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The absorbent layer 7 may be of a stacked fiber type or a sheet type. The stacked fiber type absorbent layer 7 is typically composed of an aggregate of fibrous materials such as absorbent fibers, and the aggregate is supported with superabsorbent polymer particles as necessary. The stacked fiber type absorbent layer 7 can be manufactured by a conventional method using a known stacking device equipped with a rotating drum. On the other hand, the sheet type absorbent layer 7 is typically composed of superabsorbent polymer particles fixed inside or on the surface of a fiber sheet, and is also called a water-absorbent sheet. For example, paper, nonwoven fabric, etc. can be used as the fiber sheet. The sheet type absorbent layer 7 is thinner and more flexible than the stacked fiber type absorbent layer 7. The sheet type absorbent layer 7 can be composed of superabsorbent polymer particles interposed between two opposing fiber sheets.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent layer 7 is composed of absorbent fibers 70 and superabsorbent polymers 71. The absorbent fibers 70 and superabsorbent polymers 71 may be made of materials that have been conventionally used as materials for forming absorbents in this type of absorbent article. The absorbent layer 7 containing absorbent fibers may also be called an absorbent fiber layer.

As the absorbent fiber 70, for example, natural fibers such as wood pulp, and hydrophilic fibers such as hydrophilic synthetic fibers can be used. Examples include natural fibers such as wood pulp such as softwood pulp and hardwood pulp, and non-wood pulp such as cotton pulp and hemp pulp; modified pulp such as cationic pulp and mercerized pulp; and regenerated fibers such as cupra and rayon. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

As the superabsorbent polymer 71, a surface-crosslinked polymer material, so-called SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), can be used. In the absorbent layer 7, a particulate superabsorbent polymer 71 is generally used, but a fibrous superabsorbent polymer 71 may also be used. When a particulate superabsorbent polymer 71 is used, its shape may be any of a sphere, a block, a bale, and an indefinite shape. As the superabsorbent polymer 71, a polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid or an alkali metal salt of acrylic acid can generally be used. Examples include polyacrylic acid and its salts, and polymethacrylic acid and its salts. As the polyacrylate or polymethacrylate, a sodium salt can be preferably used.

[Compression and decompression layer]
The compression-resilience layer 8 is a layer that deforms to become thinner when an external force is applied, and to become thicker when the external force is removed, and is preferably a layer that deforms to return to its original thickness. In this embodiment, the compression-resilience layer 8 is a layer with higher compression-resilience than the absorbent layer 7. The compression-resilience layer 8 can ensure the above-mentioned effects by absorbing and retaining a much smaller amount of liquid than the absorbent layer 7. In addition, since the compression-resilience layer 8 has high compression-resilience, even if a pressure that shrinks in the thickness direction Z is applied from the wearer when worn, a force that tries to restore the original shape before shrinkage is generated, and the napkin 11 is easily deformed so that a gap is unlikely to occur between the wearer's skin and the part of the napkin 11 where the compression-resilience layer 8 is arranged. As a result, even in a usage situation where a gap is generally likely to occur between the napkin 11 and the body, such as when the wearer is doing strenuous exercise or wearing it for a long time, the compression-resilience of the compression-resilience layer 8 makes it difficult for a gap to occur between the wearer's skin and the napkin 11, improving the fit to the wearer's skin and effectively suppressing liquid leakage. The compression and recovery property of the compression and recovery layer 8 will be described later.

1, the compression and recovery layer 8 is provided only in the central region M2. That is, the compression and recovery layer 8 is not provided in the front region M1 and the rear region M3. Specifically, the compression and recovery layer 8 is provided in at least a part of the central region M2 so as to overlap with the excretory part facing region.
3, in the central region M2, the compression-resilience layer 8 is disposed below and in contact with the absorbent layer 7. The region where the compression-resilience layer 8 is provided is raised toward the skin side due to the thickness of the compression-resilience layer 8 compared to the region where the compression-resilience layer 8 is not provided, forming a so-called high center portion.

With this configuration, for example, when the napkin 11 is used during the day, pressure from the wearer is likely to be applied to the central region M2 including the area facing the excretory part, so the compression and recovery properties of the compression and recovery layer 8 improve the fit to the skin and provide a comfortable wearing experience.In addition, by not providing the compression and recovery layer 8 in the front and rear regions M1 and M3, it is possible to avoid an increase in thickness due to the compression and recovery layer 8, and the napkin 11 does not become stiff due to an increase in thickness in the front and rear regions, and the wearing comfort in the front and rear regions is comfortable.
In addition, a step is generated near the boundary between the area where the compression recovery layer 8 is present and the area where it is not present. This makes it easier for the napkin 11 to bend from the front step toward the wearer's abdomen, and from the rear step toward the wearer's back. This allows the napkin 11 to easily deform to fit the shape of the wearer's body.

The size and position of the compression and recovery layer 8 in the vertical direction X are set so as to overlap, for example, with the expected excretory part facing region. The size of the compression and recovery layer 8 in the vertical direction X is set shorter than the size of the central region M2 in the X direction, and the compression and recovery layer 8 is disposed away from the front end (first folded portion L1) and the rear end (second folded portion L2) of the central region M2. In other words, the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2 are provided away from the compression and recovery layer 8 in the vertical direction X. This allows the napkin 11 to be easily folded around the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2 as folding axes without rolling up the compression and recovery layer 8.
The dimension of the compression-resilience layer 8 in the lateral direction Y is set to be approximately the same as the dimension of the absorbent layer 7 in the lateral direction Y, and the position of the compression-resilience layer 8 in the lateral direction Y is set so as to overlap with the absorbent layer 7 in the lateral direction Y. As a result, in the central region M2 where an especially large amount of liquid is supplied, the compression-resilience of the compression-resilience layer 8 makes it difficult for gaps to form between the wearer's skin and the napkin 11, improving the fit to the wearer's skin and effectively suppressing liquid leakage.

As shown in FIG. 3, the compression recovery layer 8 can be configured to include, for example, fiber agglomerates 80 .
The fiber agglomerates 80 are mainly composed of hydrophobic fibers, have a low density and a porous structure, and are excellent in liquid permeability. The fiber agglomerates 80 are fiber aggregates in which a plurality of fibers are intentionally accumulated and integrated into agglomerates, and can exist in the compression-recovery layer 8 in a state in which the form of the fiber aggregate is always maintained. In this way, the compression-recovery layer 8 is composed of a plurality of fiber agglomerates 80 with high shape stability. The fiber agglomerates 80 mainly contribute to improving the flexibility, cushioning properties, compression recovery, shape retention, etc. of the compression-recovery layer 8 and, by extension, the absorbent body 4.

The form of the fiber agglomerate 80 can be, for example, a sheet piece divided from a synthetic fiber sheet having a certain size. In particular, a nonwoven fabric is selected as the synthetic fiber sheet, and a nonwoven fabric piece cut into a predetermined size and shape is preferable as the fiber agglomerate 80. Such a sheet-piece-shaped fiber agglomerate 80 is not configured to form the sheet piece by accumulating multiple fibers, but is manufactured by cutting a fiber sheet (preferably nonwoven fabric) that is larger in size than the sheet piece. For example, the fiber agglomerate 80 described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 can be used.

(Other Configuration Examples of Compression and Decompression Layer)
In this embodiment, an example is given in which a fiber mass is used to give the compression recovery layer 8 compression recovery properties, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a nonwoven fabric having a fiber layer containing urethane foam and crimped fibers may be used to form a layer with higher compression recovery than the absorbent layer 7. As the crimped fibers, mechanically crimped fibers detected in a two-dimensional zigzag shape by mechanical crimping, three-dimensionally crimped fibers crimped in a spiral shape three-dimensionally, and latent crimped fibers crimped in a coil shape three-dimensionally by applying heat can be used. Examples of the crimped fibers include eccentric core-sheath type or side-by-side type composite fibers composed of two types of thermoplastic polymer materials with different shrinkage rates. More specifically, examples include those described in JP-A-9-296325, JP Patent No. 2759331, and JP Patent No. 5404967.

The material constituting the compression recovery layer 8 may be contained in a small amount beyond the compression recovery layer 8. For example, when the compression recovery layer 8 is composed of a fiber material such as a fiber mass, the constituent fiber may be contained in a small amount in the front region M1 and/or the rear region M3. Here, a small amount means a basis weight of 10% or less, preferably 5% or less, of the maximum basis weight of the largest basis weight part of the compression recovery layer 8. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the compression recovery layer 8 can be formed, for example, by accumulating the fiber mass 80 using a fiber stacking device, and when the compression recovery layer 8 is formed, the fiber mass 80 may accumulate in the front and rear regions of the compression recovery layer 8. For example, the fiber mass 80 may unintentionally accumulate between the compression recovery layer 8 and the first folded portion L1 and the second folded portion L2 in the central region M2, or in the front region M1 and/or the rear region M3. Even with such a configuration, the wearing comfort can be improved. In addition, the compression recovery layer 8, which is defined by the characteristics such as thickness and compression recovery property described later, is not formed in the part where the fiber mass 80 is unintentionally accumulated.

[Core wrap sheet]
The core wrap sheet 6 is a sheet member that encases the absorbent layer 7 and the compression-recovery layer 8. The core wrap sheet 6 has the function of encasing the absorbent layer 7 and the compression-recovery layer 8 that are stacked in the thickness direction Z as a whole, holding each layer together, and maintaining the shape of each stacked layer. The core wrap sheet 6 is formed, for example, from a thin, soft paper such as tissue paper or a liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric.

The absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer 8 wrapped in the core wrap sheet 6 are not bonded to each other with adhesive, and no adhesive is contained within each layer. By using the core wrap sheet 6, the layers can be maintained in an integrated laminated state without using adhesive between or within each layer, and the shape of the absorbent body 4 can be maintained. In addition, by not using adhesive, the absorption of liquid is not inhibited by the use of adhesive, and the absorbency of the absorbent body 4 can be improved, and the liquid transfer between the absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer 8 can be improved. In addition, in the napkin 11, the absorbent body 4 is typically sandwiched between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 and pressed in the thickness direction, so that the absorbent layer 7 and the compression recovery layer are more integrated, and the liquid transfer between the layers is improved.

<Compression groove>
A plurality of compressed grooves 20 are formed in the main body M of the napkin 11. As shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment, the plurality of compressed grooves 20 include a pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a, a pair of second vertical compressed grooves 20b, a first horizontal compressed groove 20c, and a second horizontal compressed groove 20d.

The pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a and the pair of second vertical compressed grooves 20b are compressed grooves 20 that extend mainly in the vertical direction X, and are formed symmetrically with respect to the vertical center line CL of the main body M. The pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a are provided mainly in the central region M2 of the main body M, and are configured in the form of arc-shaped lines that convex outward in the horizontal direction Y. The pair of second vertical compressed grooves 20b are provided in the rear region M3 of the main body M, behind the pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a. Each second vertical compressed groove 20b is configured in the form of a substantially straight line, and is arranged so that the spacing in the horizontal direction Y becomes narrower the closer to the rear of the napkin 11.
The first horizontal compressed groove 20c and the second horizontal compressed groove 20d are compressed grooves that extend mainly in the horizontal direction Y and are formed symmetrically so as to intersect with the vertical center line CL of the main body M. The first horizontal compressed groove 20c is provided mainly in the front region M1 of the main body M and is configured in the shape of an arc-shaped line that convex forward in the vertical direction X. The second horizontal compressed groove 20d is configured in the shape of an arc-shaped line that convex backward in the rear region M3 of the main body M, in the region sandwiched between the pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a behind the compressed and restored layer 8.

These compressed grooves 20 are formed by applying a known compression process, with or without the application of heat, from the top sheet 2 side of the main body M in the thickness direction Z. That is, the compressed grooves 20 are structures formed by compression applied from the top sheet 2 side in the thickness direction Z. When compression is applied, a groove structure recessed downward in the thickness direction Z relative to the non-compressed area and a compressed structure in which the material constituting the main body M is compressed are formed. In this specification, the portion consisting of such a groove structure and compressed structure is referred to as a compressed groove 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, when compression processing is performed, the top sheet 2 and absorbent body 4 are compressed. More specifically, in the compression grooves 20, at least the top sheet 2, the core wrap sheet 6 arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 4, and the absorbent layer 7 underneath are compressed. In this way, the napkin 11 has compression grooves 20 in which the top sheet 2 and absorbent layer 7 are compressed together from the skin-facing side. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, in the area of the main body M where the compression-recovery layer 8 is provided, the compression grooves 20 may reach the skin-facing side of the compression-recovery layer 8. This point will be described later.

The compressed grooves 20 are more rigid than non-compressed areas, and the compressed grooves 20 can suppress undesirable deformation such as wrinkling of the napkin 11 when worn. The compressed grooves 20 can also induce deformation into a shape that fits the wearer when worn, and can increase the effect of preventing liquid leakage outward in the horizontal direction Y and vertical direction X of the napkin 11.

The compressed groove 20 includes a low compressed portion 21 and a high compressed portion 22. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the high compressed portion 22 is formed as a circular region in a plan view, and a plurality of the high compressed portions 22 are intermittently arranged along the shape of the compressed groove 20. The high compressed portion 22 is a region that is more deeply recessed toward the non-skin side than the low compressed portion 21. The high compressed portion 22 has a higher degree of compression and higher rigidity than the low compressed portion 21.
The low compression portions 21 are positioned so as to surround the high compression portions 22. Therefore, the compression groove 20 has a structure in which the high compression portions 22 are intermittently formed in the region that will become the low compression portions 21. From this point of view, it can be said that the shape of the region that will become the low compression portions 21 in a plan view becomes the shape of the compression groove 20 in a plan view.

<Compressed and restored layer and compression grooves>
In this embodiment, among the above-mentioned compressed grooves 20, a pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a overlap in a planar view with the compression-recovery layer 8. Below, with reference to Fig. 4, a cross-sectional configuration of a portion where the compression-recovery layer 8 and the compressed groove 20 (first vertical compressed groove 20a) overlap in a planar view will be described.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first vertical compressed grooves 20a are formed, and the top sheet 2, the core wrap sheet 6, the absorbent layer 7, and a portion of the skin-facing side of the compression-recovery layer 8 are compressed together. That is, the first vertical compressed grooves 20a extend beyond the skin-facing side 8a of the compression-recovery layer 8 and reach the upper layer of the compression-recovery layer 8. On the other hand, the first vertical compressed grooves 20a do not reach the non-skin-facing side 8b of the compression-recovery layer 8. Therefore, an uncompressed area remains on the non-skin-facing side of the compression-recovery layer 8. In the compressed areas, the density (fiber density) of the constituent materials (constituent fibers) of the top sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 is higher than in the uncompressed areas.

In this way, the compression-recovery layer 8 includes a non-compressed region 82 that is not compressed integrally with the topsheet 2 and the absorbent layer 7 on the non-skin-facing side of the portion that overlaps with the compressed grooves 20 (here, the first vertical compressed grooves 20a) in a planar view. In the non-compressed region 82, for example, the multiple fiber agglomerates 80 that constitute the compression-recovery layer 8 are maintained in a distributed state so as to exhibit compression-recovery properties.
The presence of the non-compressed region 82 allows high compression recovery even below the first vertical compressed groove 20a, and for example, the fit to the skin can be improved around the first vertical compressed groove 20a. Furthermore, the presence of the non-compressed region 82 prevents depressions caused by the first vertical compressed groove 20a from being formed on the non-skin side 8b of the compression recovery layer 8. Therefore, the non-skin side of the napkin 11 (back sheet 3) is a flat surface. By providing such a non-compressed region 82, the occurrence of wrinkles caused by the compressed groove 20 in the individual package 10 is suppressed, and the appearance of the individual package 10 can be maintained in a good condition. This point will be described later.

4, by forming the first vertical compressed grooves 20a, a part of the skin-facing side of the compressed and restored layer 8 is compressed together with the core wrap sheet 6, absorbent layer 7, and topsheet 2 located above the compressed and restored layer 8. That is, the compressed and restored layer 8 includes a compressed region 81 that is compressed together with the topsheet 2 and absorbent layer 7 on the skin-facing side of a portion that overlaps with the compressed groove (here, the first vertical compressed groove 20a) in a plan view. In the compressed region 81, for example, a plurality of fiber agglomerations 80 that constitute the compressed and restored layer 8 are compressed together with upper layer members such as the absorbent layer 7.
As a result, in the compressed regions 81, although the compression recovery is reduced compared to the non-compressed regions 82, the rigidity can be increased compared to, for example, a compressed groove in which only the topsheet 2, the core wrap sheet 6, and the absorbent layer 7 are compressed. As a result, undesirable deformation, such as twisting of the napkin 11 when worn, can be suppressed.

Although FIG. 4 illustrates a configuration in which a compression region 81 is provided, the compression region 81 does not necessarily have to be provided. For example, the compression recovery layer 8 may not be compressed when the first vertical compression groove 20a is formed. That is, the first vertical compression groove 20a may not extend to the compression recovery layer 8 at all in the thickness direction Z. In this case, the compression recovery layer 8 is not compressed in the compression recovery region 81 below the first vertical compression groove 20a, and the compression recovery layer 8 as a whole becomes a non-compression region 82. This makes it possible to achieve sufficient compression recovery, for example, around the first vertical compression groove 20a.

In addition, in the first vertical compression groove 20a, the compression region 81 may reach the non-skin side 8b of the compression and recovery layer 8 by compression processing, and the compression and recovery layer 8 may have a portion that does not have a non-compressed region 82 and is composed only of the compression region 81. For example, in manufacturing, it is inevitable that the supply of the material forming the compression and recovery layer 8 is unevenly distributed in the plane and locally reduced, resulting in a portion that does not have a non-compressed region 82, but such a portion may occur. In this case, from the viewpoint of maintaining a good appearance of the individual package 10, it is preferable that the non-compressed region 82 exists in 60% or more of the area of the region where the compression and recovery layer 8 exists and the first vertical compression groove 20a is provided in a plan view, and more preferably exists in 80% or more.

In addition, even in the compressed grooves 20 (part of the first vertical compressed groove 20a, the second vertical compressed groove 20b, the first horizontal compressed groove 20c, and the second horizontal compressed groove 20d) that do not overlap with the compression and recovery layer 8 in a planar view, a compression process is performed in the thickness direction Z from the top sheet 2 side of the main body M. As a result, in the compressed grooves 20 that do not overlap with the compression and recovery layer 8 in a planar view, a groove structure is formed in which the top sheet 2 and the absorbent layer 7 are integrally recessed toward the back sheet 3 side.

<Effect of individually wrapped napkins>
Here, the action of the napkin 11 in the individual package 10 formed by folding the napkin 11 together with the packaging sheet 12 as shown in Fig. 2 will be described. In the following, the surface of the individual package 10 to which the tab tape T is attached will be described as the front surface of the individual package 10, and the surface opposite to the front surface will be described as the back surface of the individual package 10. The front surface and back surface of the individual package 10 will be described as the planar portions of the individual package 10. The front region M1 and rear region M3 of the napkin 11 are folded and arranged on the front surface side of the individual package 10. Furthermore, the central region M2 of the napkin 11 is arranged on the back surface side of the individual package 10.

In general, various compressive forces are expected to be applied to the flat surface of the individual package 10. For example, a typical sales package for napkins 11 is one in which multiple individual packages 10 are arranged in the thickness direction and stored in a single storage bag. In this case, each individual package 10 is stored in the storage bag with its flat surface compressed in order to make the storage bag smaller. In addition, when a user carries the individual packages 10 individually, the individual packages 10 are stored in a carrying pouch or the like. In this case, the flat surface of the individual package 10 may be compressed due to pressure on the pouch or pressure from other items in the pouch. When a compressive force is applied to the flat surface of the individual package 10 in this way, the napkin 11 and the packaging sheet 12 are pressed against each other.

Here, as a comparative example, consider a configuration in which the napkin 11 does not have a compression recovery layer 8, and the compressed grooves 20 formed in the napkin 11 reach the non-skin side of the absorbent body 4 that does not have a compression recovery layer 8. In this case, the compression grooves 20 are pressed against the packaging sheet 12 via the back sheet 3 by the compression force applied to the individual package 10. Since the back sheet 3 is generally very thin, it is considered that the compression grooves 20 cause wrinkles in the packaging sheet 12 that follow the planar shape of the compression grooves 20. In particular, the back surface of the individual package 10, on which the central region M2 of the main body M of the napkin 11 is entirely disposed, is a relatively flat surface if it is in a pre-compression state in which no compression force is applied, but if a compression force is applied and wrinkles are caused by the compression grooves 20, the wrinkles are easily noticeable. If wrinkles are generated on the back surface of the individual package 10 in this way, the appearance of the individual package 10 may be impaired.

Therefore, in the napkin 11 according to this embodiment, the compressed and restored layer 8 is disposed in the central region M2, and a non-compressed region 82 is formed on the non-skin-facing side of the portion of the compressed and restored layer 8 that overlaps with the first vertical compressed groove 20a in a plan view. That is, in the region on the back side of the individual package 10 where the compressed and restored layer 8 is disposed, the non-compressed region 82 is disposed between the first vertical compressed groove 20a and the packaging sheet 12.
As a result, even when a compressive force is applied to the flat portion of the individual package 10, the non-compressed regions 82 located between the packaging sheet 12 facing the central region M2 and the first vertical compressed grooves 20a exhibit compression recovery properties, preventing the first vertical compressed grooves 20a from being pressed against the packaging sheet 12, thereby making it possible to prevent wrinkles caused by the first vertical compressed grooves 20a. As a result, the appearance of the individual package 10 can be maintained in a good condition.

In particular, in the central region M2, the area where the compressed and restored layer 8 is provided has a greater thickness of the napkin 11 than the area where the compressed and restored layer 8 is not provided. Therefore, the area where the compressed and restored layer 8 is provided is the area in the central region M2 where the compressive force is more likely to be applied (the amount of compression is greater). In the configuration of the comparative example described above, for example, the area where the compressive force is more likely to be applied is an area where wrinkles caused by the compressed grooves are likely to occur, but in this embodiment, by providing the non-compressed area 82 where the compressed and restored layer 8 is not compressed, wrinkles caused by the first vertical compressed grooves 20a can be sufficiently suppressed.
In addition, the amount of compression is relatively smaller in the region where the compression and recovery layer 8 is not provided than in the region where the compression and recovery layer 8 is provided. For this reason, for example, in the central region M2, even in the compressed grooves 20 (such as a part of the first vertical compressed grooves 20a) formed in the portion that does not overlap with the compression and recovery layer 8 in a plan view, it is possible to suppress wrinkles caused by each compressed groove 20. This makes it possible to realize a good appearance over the entire back surface of the individual package 10.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a body adhesive portion 16 is provided on the non-skin facing side of the back sheet 3 as a fixing portion 15 for fixing the napkin 11 to an undergarment. The packaging sheet 12 is attached to the napkin 11 via this body adhesive portion 16 so that it can be peeled off.

For example, suppose a compressive force is applied to the flat surface of the individual package 10, causing wrinkles due to the compression grooves 20 described above. If the main adhesive portion 16, which is an anti-slip adhesive, overlaps with such wrinkles, there is a possibility that if the napkin 11 is forcefully peeled off from the packaging sheet 12, the main adhesive portion 16 may peel off from the back sheet 3 of the napkin 11 while remaining adhered to the packaging sheet 12.

In this embodiment, the fixing portion 15 (main body adhesive portion 16) located in the central region M2 is arranged so as to overlap the non-compressed region 82 in a planar view. For example, in the case where the non-compressed region 82 is provided in the entire region of the compression recovery layer 8 that overlaps with the first vertical compressed groove 20a in a planar view, the main body adhesive portion 16 is appropriately arranged so as to overlap with the first vertical compressed groove 20a in a planar view, without any particular limitation. Also, in the case where there is a region where the non-compressed region 82 is not provided, it is preferable to arrange the main body adhesive portion 16 to avoid that region.

As described above, the presence of the non-compressed region 82 suppresses wrinkles caused by the first vertical compressed groove 20a, making the main body adhesive portion 16 less likely to peel off from the back sheet 3 even in areas that overlap with the first vertical compressed groove 20a in a planar view. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the performance of fixing the napkin 11 decreases due to peeling of the main body adhesive portion 16. In addition, it becomes possible to arrange the first vertical compressed groove 20a and the main body adhesive portion 16 relatively freely without having to worry about the relative positions of the two, improving the freedom of design of the napkin 11.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the compression recovery layer 8 is disposed only in the central region M2 of the main body M of the napkin 11, and is not disposed in the front region M1 folded at the first folding portion L1 or the rear region M3 folded at the second folding portion L2.
For example, in the case of a product having a compression and recovery layer 8, the compression and recovery layer 8 is a relatively thick member, and therefore there is a problem that the volume of the individual packaged body when the product is folded increases. In this respect, in the napkin 11 according to the present embodiment, the compression and recovery layer 8 is not provided in the front region M1 and the rear region M3, so that the volume of the individual packaged body 10, particularly the thickness of the individual packaged body 10, can be suppressed from increasing. This makes it possible to realize a napkin 11 with a high fit provided with a compression and recovery layer 8 without unnecessarily increasing the thickness of the individual packaged body 10. In addition, it is possible to reduce the size of a storage bag (product package) that stores a plurality of individual packages 10. This makes it possible to minimize the storage space for the storage bag, such as display space at the time of sale and storage space after purchase.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in the thickness direction Z of the napkin 11, the compression and recovery layer 8 is disposed closer to the packaging sheet 12 (non-skin-facing side) than the absorbent layer 7. This makes it easy to form a non-compressed area 82 of the compression and recovery layer 8 between the compression groove 20 (first vertical compression groove 20a) and the packaging sheet 12. This makes it easier to achieve the effect of suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles caused by the compression groove 20, compared to a configuration in which the absorbent layer 7 is disposed closer to the packaging sheet 12 than the compression and recovery layer 8.

<Central compression groove>
5 illustrates a state in which the wings W of the napkin 11 are not folded, and the front region M1 and rear region M3 of the main body M are folded in the same manner as in constructing the individual package 10. In this embodiment, the compressed grooves 20 include a central compressed groove 20e that is arranged in a region of the central region M2 that does not overlap in plan with either the front region M1 or the rear region M3 of the absorbent article 11 when the napkin 11 is folded into the individual package 10.
As shown in Figure 5, the central compressed groove 20e is a portion of the pair of first vertical compressed grooves 20a that does not overlap with either the folded front region M1 or the rear region M3 in a planar view, and is located on both the left and right sides of the vertical center line CL.

The napkin 11 is appropriately configured to have a central compressed groove 20e. For example, as described below, the planar shape of at least one of the contour lines of the front region M1 and the rear region M3 may be configured to have a central compressed groove 20e. Also, at least one of the first folding portion L1 and the second folding portion L2, which are creases for folding in the vertical direction X, may be set. For example, it is possible to form the central compressed groove 20e by setting each folding portion so as to reduce the area of the portion that becomes the front region M1 or the rear region M3.

The fixing portion 15 (main body adhesive portion 16) located in the central region M2 is arranged so as to overlap at least the central compressed groove 20e in a planar view. In other words, the central region M2 always has an area where the central compressed groove 20e and the main body adhesive portion 16 overlap in a planar view. As described below, in this embodiment, a plurality of stripe-shaped main body adhesive portions 16 extending in the horizontal direction Y are arranged below each central compressed groove 20e extending in the vertical direction X (see FIG. 6).

The central compressed groove 20e in the individual packaging body 10 does not overlap with the front region M1 and the rear region M3 in a plan view, to the extent that this does not result in a space being formed inside the individual packaging body 10. For example, above the central compressed groove 20e, there is a spatial margin corresponding to the thickness of the front region M1 and the rear region M3 when folded up.
Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of individual packages 10 are aligned/contained in a storage bag and subjected to a compressive force, the compressive force is less likely to be applied to the central compressed groove 20e, and the occurrence of wrinkles in the packaging sheet 12 due to the central compressed groove 20e can be suppressed. Furthermore, the main body adhesive portion 16 is arranged in the region overlapping with the central compressed groove 20e in a planar view, and because the occurrence of wrinkles is suppressed in this region, the main body adhesive portion 16 is also less likely to peel off. As a result, the appearance of the individual packages 10 is improved, and it is possible to suppress peeling of the main body adhesive portion 16 that overlaps with the central compressed groove 20e in a planar view from being peeled off from the back sheet 3.

The central compressed groove 20e is typically formed near the center of the central region M2 in the vertical direction X, and overlaps with the compression recovery layer 8 in plan view. In other words, the central compressed groove 20e is a compressed groove 20 on the compression recovery layer 8. In this embodiment, the compression recovery layer 8 includes a non-compressed region 82 in the portion that overlaps with the central compressed groove 20e in plan view. In other words, a non-compressed region 82 where the compression recovery layer 8 is not compressed and has high compression recovery is always provided below the central compressed groove 20e.

As described above, the compression and recovery effect of the non-compressed region 82 can suppress the occurrence of wrinkles caused by the compression groove 20 in the region where the non-compressed region 82 is provided. In addition, the compression force itself is less likely to be applied to the central compression groove 20e. In this way, by providing the non-compressed region 82 in the central compression groove 20e, the synergistic effect with the compression and recovery effect can be achieved to sufficiently suppress the occurrence of wrinkles in the packaging sheet 12 caused by the central compression groove 20e.

In this embodiment, the contour line of at least one of the front region M1 or rear region M3 of the napkin 11 includes a shape that curves inward in the horizontal direction Y. Here, the contour line is the outer edge of the planar shape of the napkin 11. Therefore, for the front region M1 and rear region M3 that are folded into the individual package 10, at least one of the planar shapes is recessed toward the vertical center line CL.

As shown in Fig. 1, in the front region M1 and the rear region M3 of the napkin 11, convex portions 25 that bulge outward in the horizontal direction Y are formed on both the left and right sides of the vertical centerline CL. The front region M1 has a front edge 11F that connects the left and right convex portions 25 formed in the front region M1. The front edge 11F is a contour line that includes the front end of the napkin 11 in the vertical direction X. The rear region M3 has a rear edge 11R that connects the left and right convex portions 25 formed in the front region M1. The rear edge 11R is a contour line that includes the rear end of the napkin 11 in the vertical direction X.
In this embodiment, the rear end edge 11R includes a shape curved inward in the lateral direction Y. Specifically, an inwardly convex curved portion 26 having a center of curvature on the outer side of the rear end edge 11R is formed symmetrically about the longitudinal center line CL, and the rear end edge 11R has a tapered shape that narrows toward the rear in the longitudinal direction X. The front end edge 11F has an arc shape that convexly extends forward in the longitudinal direction X.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the rear region M3 is folded to form the individual package 10, the inwardly convex curved portion 26 at the rear edge 11R makes it possible to shift the area overlapping with the first vertical compressed groove 20a rearward in the vertical direction X. This makes it possible to design the central compressed groove 20e to be longer in the vertical direction X, for example, compared to a case in which the central compressed groove 20e has an outwardly curved shape in the horizontal direction Y. As a result, it becomes possible to achieve the effect of suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles caused by the central compressed groove 20e over a wider area.

The front edge 11F forming the contour of the front region M1 may be configured to include a shape curved inward in the horizontal direction Y. As a result, when the front region M1 is folded, the front edge 11F curves inward in the horizontal direction Y, making it possible to shift the area overlapping with the first vertical compressed groove 20a forward in the vertical direction X, and making it possible to design the central compressed groove 20e longer in the vertical direction X. Also, a contour curved inward in the horizontal direction Y may be formed in both the front region M1 and the rear region M3. In this case, it becomes possible to design the central compressed groove 20e to be longer in the vertical direction X, making it possible to sufficiently suppress the occurrence of wrinkles.

The longer the central compressed groove 20e is in the longitudinal direction X, the wider the range in which wrinkles occurring in the packaging sheet 12 of the individual package 10 can be suppressed.
On the other hand, in order to design the central compressed groove 20e to be long in the vertical direction X, for example, a method can be used in which the front edge 11F or the rear edge 11R of the napkin 11 is provided with a contour line that is curved inward in the horizontal direction Y, but if the range of the part that is curved inward in the horizontal direction Y is too wide, there is a possibility that the performance of the napkin 11, such as the fit of the napkin 11 when worn and the leakproofness that prevents liquid leakage from the napkin 11, will decrease. Also, for example, the central compressed groove 20e can be designed to be long in the vertical direction X by shifting the first folded portion L1 forward or the second folded portion L2 backward, but in this case, the length of the central region M2 in the vertical direction X will be large, and the size of the individual package 10 in the vertical direction X will increase.
In consideration of these, the length of central compressed groove 20e in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction X is preferably 60 mm or more, and more preferably 80 mm or more, from the viewpoint of suppressing wrinkles occurring in packaging sheet 12. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of not degrading the performance of napkin 11 and suppressing the size of individual package 10 in the longitudinal direction X, the length of central compressed groove 20e in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction X is preferably 180 mm or less, and more preferably 150 mm or less.

<Separation of absorbent layer ends in individual packages>
As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the napkin 11 is configured such that, when folded into the individual package 10, the absorbent layer 7 provided in the front region M1 and the absorbent layer 7 provided in the rear region M3 do not overlap in a plan view.
Hereinafter, the tip of the front edge 7F of the absorbent layer 7 in the longitudinal direction X will be referred to as a front end 28F of the absorbent layer 7, and the tip of the rear edge 7R of the absorbent layer 7 in the longitudinal direction X will be referred to as a rear end 28R. The front end 28F and the rear end 28R are the front and rear ends of the absorbent body 4 in the longitudinal direction X of the napkin 11.
The napkin 11 is configured such that, in a state in which the front region M1 and the rear region M3 are folded, the front end 28F of the absorbent layer 7 is located closer to the first folded portion L1 than the rear end 28R in the longitudinal direction X (or the rear end 28R of the absorbent layer 7 is located closer to the second folded portion L2 than the front end 28F in the longitudinal direction X). This prevents the absorbent layers 7 provided in the front region M1 and the rear region M3 from overlapping in a plan view.

With this configuration, no overlapping area of the absorbent layer 7 is formed around the central compression groove 20e, which is subject to the greatest compressive force when the individual package 10 is compressed. This makes it possible to prevent the central compression groove 20e from being pushed into the packaging sheet 12 as a result of the overlapping area being compressed, and makes it possible to sufficiently suppress the occurrence of wrinkles in the packaging sheet 12 and the peeling of the main body adhesive portion 16 that accompanies the occurrence of wrinkles.

As described above, when the absorbent layer 7 in the front region M1 and the rear region M3 do not overlap in a plan view, the front end 28F and the rear end 28R of the absorbent layer 7 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction X. The absorbent layer 7 is not folded over in the area between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R, so that the thickness of the individual package 10 is relatively small and the area is less susceptible to compressive force. Therefore, the greater the distance between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R in the vertical direction X, the less compressive force is applied to the pair of central compressed grooves 20e, making it easier to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles caused by the central compressed grooves 20e. On the other hand, in order to increase the distance between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R, it is possible to shorten the length of the absorbent layer 7 in the vertical direction X, but in this case, there is a possibility that the absorbency of the napkin 11 may be reduced. It is also possible to increase the distance between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R by shifting the first folding portion L1 forward and shifting the second folding portion L2 backward, but in this case, the size of the individual packaging body 10 in the vertical direction X will increase.
In consideration of these, the distance between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R is preferably 1 mm or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more, from the viewpoint of suppressing wrinkles occurring in the packaging sheet 12. Moreover, from the viewpoint of not reducing the water absorption performance of the napkin 11 and suppressing the size of the individual package 10 in the longitudinal direction X, the distance between the front end 28F and the rear end 28R is preferably 30 mm or less, and more preferably 25 mm or less.

<Main body adhesive area and central compression groove>
Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of the central region M2 of the main body M of the napkin 11 as viewed from the non-skin facing side. A back sheet 3 is disposed on the non-skin facing side of the napkin 11, and a fixing portion 15 is provided on the back sheet 3 as an adhesive for fixing the napkin 11 to an undergarment. Fig. 6 also shows a main body adhesive portion 16 of the fixing portion 15 that fixes the main body M to the undergarment. The dotted line area in the figure represents the above-mentioned central compressed groove 20e.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the fixing portion 15 includes a plurality of main body adhesive portions 16 arranged on the main body M along the vertical direction X at a distance from one another and extending in the horizontal direction Y.
Each of the main body adhesive parts 16 has two end sides 16a and 16b extending in the horizontal direction Y. The end side 16a is an end side formed in the front of the vertical direction X, and the end side 16b is an end side formed in the rear. In the example shown in FIG. 6, each main body adhesive part 16 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the horizontal direction Y, and the end sides 16a and 16b are straight lines along the horizontal direction. The planar shape of the main body adhesive part 16 is not limited, and for example, the end sides 16a and 16b may be curved, or an arc-shaped or wavy main body adhesive part 16 may be used. The planar shape of each main body adhesive part 16 may be the same shape or different shapes. In addition, the length of the main body adhesive part 16 in the vertical direction X and the length of the horizontal direction Y, and the interval between the main body adhesive parts 16 in the vertical direction X can be set appropriately.

The multiple main body adhesive portions 16 also include at least one cross-adhesive portion 18 in which the two end edges 16a and 16b overlap the central compressed groove 20e in a plan view. In the example shown in FIG. 6, two cross-adhesive portions 18 are provided, but three or more cross-adhesive portions 18 may be provided. In addition, the number of cross-adhesive portions 18 is not limited, and the napkin 11 is configured so that at least one cross-adhesive portion 18 is provided depending on, for example, the shape and size of the main body adhesive portion 16, the length of the central compressed groove 20e in the vertical direction X, etc.

The cross-adhesive portion 18 only intersects with the central compressed groove 20e because the two end edges 16a and 16b overlap with the central compressed groove 20e in plan view. In other words, the cross-adhesive portion 18 does not have an area that overlaps with any compressed groove other than the central compressed groove 20e (the portion of the first vertical compressed groove 20a that does not become the central compressed groove 20e) in plan view. This makes it easier for the cross-adhesive portion 18 to benefit from the effect of avoiding the compressive force exerted by the central compressed groove 20e described above. This makes it possible to reliably avoid a situation in which the cross-adhesive portion 18 is partially peeled off due to wrinkles in the packaging sheet 12 of the individual package 10, for example.

<Compression and recovery properties of the compression and recovery layer>
The compression recovery can be evaluated using the compression work (hereinafter also referred to as "WC") and recovery work (hereinafter also referred to as "WC'"). WC is an index of the cushioning of the object to be measured (here, the absorbent layer, the compression recovery layer), and the larger the WC value, the better the cushioning of the object to be measured, and therefore the better the compression recovery. WC' is an index of the recovery (compression recovery) of the object to be measured when an external force is applied to the object to be measured, the object is compressed, and then the external force is removed, and the larger the WC' value, the better the compression recovery of the object to be measured. WC and WC' are measured by the following method. Note that "the compression recovery layer has higher compression recovery than the absorbent layer" means that both the WC and WC' of the compression recovery layer 8 are larger than those of the absorbent layer 7.

(Method of measuring compression work (WC) and recovery work (WC'))
It is generally known that the WC and WC' to be measured can be expressed as values measured using the Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd. (Reference: Standardization and Analysis of Texture Evaluation (2nd Edition), author Kawabata Takao, published July 10, 1980). Specifically, WC and WC' can be measured using a compression tester KES-G5 manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd. The measurement procedure is as follows.

First, the sample is attached to the test table of the compression test device. The sample is, for example, a component of an absorbent article such as a napkin 11 (for example, an absorbent layer 7, a compression recovery layer 8). The sample is in a dry state and has a rectangular shape in a plan view with a length of 5 mm and a width of ⁵ mm. When the dry sample is the absorbent layer 7 or the compression recovery layer 8 included in the absorbent body, the absorbent body is unused and has not absorbed any liquid, and is in a dry state. Next, the sample is compressed between steel plates having a circular flat surface with an area of 2 cm2. The part to be compressed at this time is the non-recessed part of the sample, that is, the part that has not been subjected to compression processing and the original shape of the sample remains. The compression speed is 0.2 cm/sec, the maximum compression load is 2450 mN/ ^cm2 , SENS is 10, and DEF is 20. The restoration process is also measured at the same speed. WC is expressed by the following formula (1), and WC' is expressed by the following formula (2), and the units are "mN/cm/ ^cm2 ". In the following formula, _Tm represents the thickness at a load of 2450 mN/ ^cm2 (4.9 kPa), and _T0 represents the thickness at a load of 4.902 mN/ ^cm2 (49 Pa). Additionally, Pa in the following formula (1) and Pb in the following formula (2) represent the measured load (mN/ ^cm2 ) during the compression process and the measured load (mN/ ^cm2 ) during the thickness recovery process, respectively.

Note that WC' is not displayed on the measurement result screen of the KES-G5. Instead, what is displayed on the measurement result screen is WC and the compression recovery rate or compression resilience (hereinafter also referred to as "RC") calculated from WC'. In such a case, WC' is calculated using the parameters (WC, RC) displayed on the measurement device and the following formula (3).

<Method of forming absorbent body and compressed grooves>
The compressed grooves are formed by covering the skin side of the absorbent body 4 with the topsheet 2, and then compressing the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 from the side of the topsheet 2. Below, a method for manufacturing the absorbent body 4 and a method for forming the compressed grooves will be described in that order.

An example of a method for producing the absorbent body 4 will be described.
The absorbent body 4 can be manufactured in a conventional manner using a known fiber-stacking device equipped with a rotating drum. The fiber-stacking device typically includes a rotating drum having a stacking recess formed on its circumferential surface, and a duct having an internal flow path for transporting the absorbent layer forming material (absorbent fiber 70, superabsorbent polymer 71) and the compressed and restored layer material (fiber mass 80) to the stacking recess. While rotating the rotating drum around its rotation axis along the drum circumferential direction, the forming material transported on the air flow generated in the flow path by suction from the inside of the rotating drum is stacked in the stacking recess. The arrangement order of the absorbent layer 7 and the compressed and restored layer 8 in the absorbent body 4 can be realized by appropriately adjusting the stacking order of each forming material on the rotating drum in the manufacturing method using the fiber-stacking device.

The absorbent body 4 can be manufactured by the following two methods using a known fiber stacking device.
(1) A method in which two fiber stacking devices are used to stack and integrate a fiber stack (absorbent layer 7) produced by one fiber stacking device with a fiber stack (compressed recovery layer 8) produced by the other fiber stacking device, and then covering the integrated laminate with a core wrap sheet 6.
(2) A method in which a single fiber stacking device is used to produce a laminate of the absorbent layer 7 and the compressed recovery layer 8 by differentiating the timing of supplying the material for forming the compressed recovery layer 8 (fiber mass 80) to the accumulation recess from that of the material for forming the absorbent layer 7 (absorbent fiber 70, superabsorbent polymer 71), and then covering the laminate with a core wrap sheet 6.

Next, an example of a method for forming compressed grooves will be described. Compressed grooves can be produced by pressing and heating a laminate including the top sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 together between an embossing roll having projections and recesses and a flat roll having a flat peripheral surface.

The first vertical compressed groove 20a formed on the compression recovery layer 8 shown in FIG. 4 can be broadly divided into a case where only the non-compressed region 82 is formed on the compression recovery layer 8 and a case where both the compressed region 81 and the non-compressed region 82 are formed on the compression recovery layer 8. The non-compressed region 82 and the compressed region 81 can be adjusted by the conditions (embossing conditions) when pressing the roll, such as the clearance between the embossing roll and the flat roll and the roll temperature, when the embossing roll is applied from the surface (surface sheet 2) side of the article including the surface sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 on the production line. More specifically, the clearance between the rolls and the embossing conditions can be adjusted so that the compressed region 81 does not reach the non-skin side 8b side of the compression recovery layer 8 by the convex portion forming the first vertical compressed groove 20a on the embossing roll.

<Other embodiments>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

7 shows a plan view of a napkin 11A that is designed to be relatively long in the vertical direction X (for example, a total length of 30 cm or more). The napkin 11A that is relatively long in the vertical direction X is folded in the vertical direction X with three folding parts (first folding part L1, second folding part L2, and third folding part L3) along the horizontal direction Y as folding axes in the individually wrapped state. In this napkin 11A, as in the case of the napkin 11 described with reference to FIG. 1, the area sandwiched between the first folding part L1 and the second folding part L2 and including the excretion part facing area is defined as the central area M2. In addition, a first rear area M31 sandwiched between the second folding part L2 and the third folding part L3 and a second rear area M32 located rearward of the third folding part L3 are arranged behind the central area M2. The first rear region M31 and the second rear region M32 each correspond to the rear region M3 according to the present invention.
Even when three folds are provided in this manner, the compression and recovery layer 8 is disposed only in the central region M2, for example, and non-compressed regions 82 are formed in the portions of the compression and recovery layer 8 that overlap with the compressed grooves 20 in a plan view. This makes it possible to prevent wrinkles caused by the compressed grooves 20 from occurring in the packaging sheet of the individual package, and to maintain a good appearance of the individual package.

For example, absorbent articles to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to sanitary napkins. Specifically, the present invention can be applied to pad-type absorbent articles similar to sanitary napkins, such as urine absorption pads and panty liners.

M1: front region; M2: central region; M3: rear region; L1: first folded portion; L2: second folded portion; 2: top sheet; 3: back sheet; 7: absorbent layer; 8: compression recovery layer; 10: individual package; 11: napkin (absorbent article)
12: Packaging sheet 16: Main body adhesive portion 20a: First vertical compressed groove 20e: Central compressed groove 81: Compressed region 82: Non-compressed region

Claims (7)

An individually wrapped absorbent article comprising an absorbent article having a vertical direction corresponding to the front-to-rear direction of a wearer and a horizontal direction perpendicular thereto, and a packaging sheet joined to a non-skin-facing side of the absorbent article, the absorbent article and the packaging sheet being folded in the vertical direction around a first folding portion extending in the horizontal direction and a second folding portion provided behind the first folding portion and extending in the horizontal direction as folding axes,
The absorbent article includes, in order from the skin side, a top sheet, an absorbent layer, a compression recovery layer, and a back sheet, the top sheet and the absorbent layer have compressed grooves formed by integrally squeezing them from the skin side, and is divided into a front region, a central region, and a rear region in order from the front side by the first folded portion and the second folded portion,
The compression recovery layer is provided only in the central region, and further includes a non-compressed region that is not compressed integrally with the top sheet and the absorbent layer on the non-skin side of the portion that overlaps with the compression grooves in a planar view. The absorbent article further includes a fixing portion provided on the non-skin-facing side of the back sheet for fixing the absorbent article to clothing of the wearer,
The individually wrapped absorbent article according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed portion located in the central region overlaps with the non-compressed region in a plan view. the compressed groove includes a central compressed groove disposed in a region of the central region that does not overlap with either the front region or the rear region of the absorbent article in a plan view when the absorbent article is folded into the individual package,
The individually wrapped absorbent article according to claim 2 , wherein the fixed portion located in the central region overlaps at least with the central compressed groove in a plan view. The individually wrapped absorbent article according to claim 3 , wherein a contour line of at least one of the front region and the rear region of the absorbent article includes a shape that is curved inward in the lateral direction. The individually wrapped absorbent article according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the compression-recovery layer includes the non-compressed region in a portion that overlaps with the central compressed groove in a plan view. The absorbent layer is provided across the front region, the central region, and the rear region,
The individually wrapped absorbent article according to claim 3 or 4, wherein when the absorbent article is folded into the individually wrapped absorbent article, the absorbent layer provided in the front region and the absorbent layer provided in the rear region do not overlap in a plan view. The absorbent article has a main body in which the absorbent layer and the compression-recovery layer are disposed,
The fixing portion includes a plurality of body adhesive portions disposed on the body at a distance from one another along the vertical direction and extending in the horizontal direction,
The individually packaged absorbent article according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each of the plurality of main body adhesive portions has two end sides extending in the horizontal direction, and includes at least one cross adhesive portion in which the two end sides overlap the central compressed groove in a planar view.

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