JP7538674B2 - Pants-type disposable wear - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pants-type disposable wearable article with improved feel (softness, cushioning) at the ends of the leg openings.

A typical example of a disposable wearable article with leg openings is a pants-type disposable diaper. A pants-type disposable diaper generally comprises an outer body that constitutes at least the waist area of the front and rear body, and an inner body including an absorbent that is attached to the outer body so as to extend from the front body to the rear body. Both sides of the outer body of the front body and both sides of the outer body of the rear body are joined to form side seals, forming a waist opening and a pair of left and right leg openings (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In conventional pants-type disposable diapers, the entire edge of the leg opening was formed only by the outer body, but recently, many diapers have been designed so that the upper part of the edge of the leg opening (the part close to the waist) is formed by the outer body and the remaining part is formed by the side of the inner body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, conventional pants-type disposable wearable articles have room for improvement in the feel of the parts of the outer body located at the ends of the leg openings, particularly in the flexibility and cushioning (compression recovery) of the sheet layer.

To solve this problem, Patent Document 2 proposes making the parts of the exterior body located at the ends of the leg openings hollow, but with the design described in Patent Document 2, the ends of the leg openings tend to curl, which could lead to a deterioration in the fit and appearance of the ends of the leg openings.

JP 2006-122396 A JP 2020-018483 A

Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to prevent twisting and improve the feel of the parts of the outer body located at the ends of the leg openings.

The pants-type disposable wearing article that solves the above problems is as follows.
<First aspect>
The garment is provided with a front exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the front body and a rear exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the rear body, the front exterior body and the rear exterior body being spaced apart in the front-rear direction,
an inner body extending in a front-rear direction from the front outer body to the rear outer body and joined to the front outer body and the rear outer body,
The garment has side seal portions at which both side portions of the front exterior body and both side portions of the rear exterior body are joined together, a waist opening, and a pair of left and right leg openings,
The lower edges of the wing regions extending on both sides of the interior body in the front exterior body and the rear exterior body form upper edges of the leg openings,
The lower end of the wing region has one or more elongated lower end elastic members arranged at intervals along the width direction, a first sheet layer facing the outside of the lower end elastic member, and a second sheet layer facing the inside of the lower end elastic member,
The lower end elastic member is fixed to the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer.
In pants-type disposable wearable articles,
a lower end portion of the wing region having one or more sheet layers on the inner side of the second sheet layer;
a lower end portion of the wing region includes a first region located closer to the leg opening than the lower end elastic member located at the lowermost position, and a second region located closer to the waist opening than the first region;
In the first region, the innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer are joined, and a twist prevention portion in which the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are joined continues in the width direction,
In the second region, a non-jointed portion in which the innermost sheet layer and the inner sheet layer overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer are not joined continues in the width direction,
A gap between the innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer is closed on both sides of the non-jointed portion in the front-rear direction,
The lower end of the wing region is contracted in the front-to-rear direction by the contraction of the lower end elastic member, and a lower end gather is formed in a portion including the non-jointed portion at the lower end of the wing region.
A pants-type disposable wearing article.

(Action and Effect)
In this pants-type disposable wear article, the lower end of the wing region shrinks in the width direction as the lower end elastic member shrinks, and a lower end gather is formed in the portion including the non-joined portion at the lower end of the wing region. That is, pleats of the lower end gather are formed in the width direction in the portion including the non-joined portion at the lower end of the wing region. Here, the non-joined portion is a portion where the innermost sheet layer and the inner sheet layer overlapping the outer side are not joined, and the gap between the sheet layers is closed on both sides of the non-joined portion in the front-rear direction. That is, the non-joined portion is followed in the width direction by a hollow portion surrounded by the sheet layers. As a result, the pleats formed in the non-joined portion are formed by at least the innermost sheet layer expanding greatly, and are large and soft (i.e., highly cushioned). Moreover, while such pleats due to the non-joined portion are formed in the second region, the first region located on the leg opening side is less likely to be deformed, such as twisted, due to the absence of the lower end elastic member and the twist prevention portion (which is highly rigid due to the joining of the sheet layers) continuing in the width direction. Therefore, in the pants-type disposable wearing article, the ends of the leg openings in the outer body are prevented from twisting and feel pleasant against the skin.

<Second aspect>
The twist prevention portion has a front-rear dimension of 5 to 40 mm.
A pants-type disposable wearing article according to a first aspect.

(Action and Effect)
The width of the anti-wrinkle portion may be determined as appropriate, but if it is too narrow, the anti-wrinkle effect will be poor, and if it is too wide, the effect of improving the feel of the ends of the leg openings in the outer body will be poor, so it is preferable that it is within the range of this embodiment.

<Third aspect>
The non-jointed portion continues in the front-rear direction from within the first region to at least a lowermost lower end elastic member within the second region.
A pants-type disposable wearing article according to the first or second aspect.

(Action and Effect)
In the present embodiment, when the non-jointed portion continues into the first region, the formation of pleats in the non-jointed portion is less likely to be restricted by the twist prevention portion, and the deterioration of the wearing comfort caused by the twist prevention portion being pressed against the skin by the lower end elastic member is suppressed, which is preferable. In addition, the positional relationship between the non-jointed portion and the lower end elastic member can be appropriately determined, but it is preferable to have at least one lower end elastic member at a position overlapping the non-jointed portion in the thickness direction, because the contractile force of the lower end elastic member is directly applied to the non-jointed portion, the shape of the pleats in the non-jointed portion is highly maintained, and the lower end elastic member comes into contact with the skin via the pleats with high cushioning properties formed in the innermost sheet layer.

<Fourth aspect>
a lower end portion of the wing region having a plurality of sheet layers on the inner side of the second sheet layer;
In a part or the whole of the non-jointed portion in the front-rear direction, all the sheet layers other than the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are not joined to other sheet layers overlapping in the thickness direction.
The pants-type disposable wearing article according to any one of the first to third aspects.

(Action and Effect)
In the structure of this aspect, the contractile force of the lower end elastic member forms folds independently in each sheet layer inside the second sheet layer in the non-jointed portion, and these folds overlap, resulting in greater cushioning at the lower end of the wing region.

<Fifth aspect>
The sheet material of the first sheet layer and the sheet material of the second sheet layer have folded-back portions that are folded inward at lower edges of the wing regions,
the innermost sheet layer being a folded-back portion of the sheet material of the first sheet layer;
The inner sheet layer is a folded portion of the sheet material of the second sheet layer.
A pants-type disposable wearing article according to a fourth aspect.

(Action and Effect)
In this structure, by folding back the sheet material constituting the first and second sheet layers that sandwich the lower end elastic member, two sheet layers can be formed inside the second sheet layer, so that pleats with better cushioning properties can be formed at the lower end of the wing area using less sheet material.

<Sixth aspect>
the folded-back portion of the sheet material of the second sheet layer has a re-folded-back portion that is folded back again toward the leg opening side,
the folded-back portion of the sheet material of the first sheet layer does not have a re-folded-back portion that is folded back again toward the leg opening side,
The folding position of the re-folded portion is located in the non-jointed portion.
A pants-type disposable wearing article according to a fifth aspect.

(Action and Effect)
By providing such a folded-back portion, the cushioning properties of the lower end portion of the wing region are particularly excellent.

The present invention provides the advantages of preventing twisting at the ends of the leg openings in the outer body while improving the feel against the skin.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the pants-type disposable diaper in an unfolded state. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface of the pants-type disposable diaper in an unfolded state. This is a cross-sectional view of FIG. This is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 along line 3-3. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pants-type disposable diaper. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface of the inner body in the deployed state together with the contour of the outer body. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface of the inner body in the deployed state together with the contour of the outer body. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another example corresponding to cross section 2-2 of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the outer surface of the pants-type disposable diaper in an unfolded state. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 3 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a front exterior body and a rear exterior body. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a front exterior body and a rear exterior body. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a front exterior body and a rear exterior body.

As an example of a pants-type disposable wearing article, a pants-type disposable diaper will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The dotted pattern in the cross-sectional view indicates an adhesive as a joining means for joining each component located on the front and back sides, and is formed by solid, bead, curtain, summit or spiral application of hot melt adhesive, or pattern coating (transfer of hot melt adhesive using a letterpress method), or the fixed part of the elastic member is formed by applying the adhesive to the outer surface of the elastic member using a comb gun or Sure Wrap instead of or in addition to this. As for hot melt adhesives, there are various types such as EVA-based, adhesive rubber-based (elastomer-based), olefin-based, and polyester/polyamide-based, but any type can be used without particular limitations. As a joining means for joining each component, material welding means such as heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing can also be used.

1 to 6 show an example of a pants-type disposable diaper. This pants-type disposable diaper includes a rectangular front exterior body 12F constituting at least the waist circumference of the front body F, a rectangular rear exterior body 12B constituting at least the waist circumference of the rear body B, and an inner body 200 extending from the front exterior body 12F through the crotch area to the rear exterior body 12B and fixed to the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B. Both sides of the front exterior body 12F and both sides of the rear exterior body 12B are joined to form side seals 12A, whereby an opening formed by the front and rear ends of the exterior bodies 12F and 12B becomes a waist opening WO through which the wearer's torso passes, and the portions on both sides of the width of the inner body 200 that are surrounded by the lower edges of the exterior bodies 12F and 12B and the side edges of the inner body 200 respectively become leg openings LO through which the legs pass. The inner body 200 is a part that absorbs and retains excrement such as urine, and the outer bodies 12F and 12B are parts that support the inner body 200 against the wearer's body. Also, the symbol Y indicates the total length of the diaper in the unfolded state (the length in the front-to-rear direction from the edge of the waist opening WO of the front body F to the edge of the waist opening WO of the back body B), and the symbol X indicates the total width of the diaper in the unfolded state.

This pants-type disposable diaper has a waist region T defined as the front-rear range having the side seal 12A (the front-rear range from the waist opening WO to the upper end of the leg opening LO), and an intermediate region L defined as the front-rear range of the portion forming the leg opening LO (between the front-rear region having the side seal 12A of the front body F and the front-rear region having the side seal 12A of the back body B). The waist region T can be conceptually divided into a "waist portion" W that forms the edge of the waist opening, and a "lower waist portion" U that is the portion below this. Normally, when there is a boundary within the waist region T where the stretch stress in the width direction WD changes (for example, the thickness or elongation rate of the elastic member changes), the waist region W is the portion closer to the waist opening WO than the boundary closest to the waist opening WO, and when there is no such boundary, the waist extension portion 12E that extends further toward the waist opening WO than the absorbent body 56 or the inner body 200 is the waist region W. These front-to-rear lengths vary depending on the size of the product and can be set as appropriate, but as an example, the waist portion W can be 15-40 mm, and the lower waist portion U can be 65-120 mm. Meanwhile, both side edges of the middle region L are narrowed in a U-shape or curved shape to fit around the wearer's legs, and these are the areas where the wearer's legs are inserted. As a result, the pants-type disposable diaper in the unfolded state has a roughly hourglass shape overall.

(Adhesion between the inner body and the front and rear outer bodies)
2, 5, and 11, the inner body 200 and the outer bodies 12F, 12B are joined together via a hot melt adhesive H1. This adhesive portion 21 (where the hot melt adhesive H1 is applied) preferably extends across both sides of the overlapping region 20 (the hatched region in FIGS. 7 and 8) from the edge of the overlapping region 20 on the crotch side to the edge of the overlapping region 20 on the waist opening WO side.

(Interior body)
The inner body 200 can have any shape, but in the illustrated example, it is rectangular. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the inner body 200 is a main body that is responsible for the absorption function, and includes a top sheet 30 that faces the body, a liquid-impermeable sheet 11, and an absorbent element 50 interposed therebetween. Reference numeral 40 denotes an intermediate sheet (second sheet) that is provided between the top sheet 30 and the absorbent element 50 in order to quickly transfer liquid that has permeated the top sheet 30 to the absorbent element 50, and reference numeral 60 denotes rising gathers 60 that extend from both sides of the inner body 200 so as to contact the wearer's legs in order to prevent excrement from leaking out to both sides of the inner body 200.

(Top sheet)
The top sheet 30 is a material that has a property of being permeable to liquid, and examples of such material include a nonwoven fabric with or without holes, a plastic sheet with holes, etc. The top sheet 30 may be made of a single sheet, or may be made of a laminated sheet obtained by bonding two or more sheets together. Similarly, the top sheet 30 may be made of a single sheet, or may be made of two or more sheets in the planar direction.

Both sides of the top sheet 30 may be folded back at the side edges of the absorbent element 50, or may not be folded back and extend beyond the side edges of the absorbent element 50.

The top sheet 30 is preferably fixed to the adjacent backside member by a material welding joining means such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing, or by a hot melt adhesive, in order to prevent misalignment relative to the backside member. In the illustrated example, the top sheet 30 is fixed to the front surface of the intermediate sheet 40 and the front surface of the portion of the packaging sheet 58 that is located on the front side of the absorbent body 56 by a hot melt adhesive applied to the backside of the top sheet 30.

(middle seat)
In order to quickly transfer liquid that has permeated the top sheet 30 to the absorbent body, an intermediate sheet (also called a "second sheet") 40 that has a faster liquid permeability rate than the top sheet 30 can be provided. This intermediate sheet 40 is intended to quickly transfer liquid to the absorbent body, improve the absorption performance of the absorbent body, and prevent the "backflow" phenomenon of absorbed liquid from the absorbent body. The intermediate sheet 40 can also be omitted.

Examples of the intermediate sheet 40 include the same material as the top sheet 30, spunlace nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric, SMS nonwoven fabric, pulp nonwoven fabric, mixed sheet of pulp and rayon, point-bond nonwoven fabric, and crepe paper. In particular, air-through nonwoven fabric is preferred because it is bulky. For the air-through nonwoven fabric, it is preferred to use composite fibers with a core-sheath structure, and in this case, the resin used for the core may be polypropylene (PP), but polyester (PET) with high rigidity is preferred. The basis weight is preferably 17 to 80 g/m ² , and more preferably 25 to 60 g/m ^2. The thickness of the raw fiber of the nonwoven fabric is preferably 2.0 to 10 dtex. In order to make the nonwoven fabric bulky, it is also preferred to use eccentric fibers with no core in the center, hollow fibers, or eccentric and hollow fibers as the mixed fibers of all or part of the raw fiber.

In the illustrated example, the intermediate sheet 40 is positioned in the center and is shorter than the width of the absorbent body 56, but it may be provided across the entire width. The length of the intermediate sheet 40 in the front-to-rear direction may be the same as the entire length of the diaper, the same as the length of the absorbent element 50, or within a short length range centered on the area that receives liquid.

The intermediate sheet 40 is preferably fixed to the adjacent backside member by a material welding joining means such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing, or by a hot melt adhesive, in order to prevent misalignment relative to the backside member. In the illustrated example, the intermediate sheet 40 is fixed to the surface of the portion of the packaging sheet 58 that is located on the front side of the absorbent body 56 by a hot melt adhesive applied to the backside.

(Liquid-impermeable sheet)
The material of the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include plastic films made of olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, laminated nonwoven fabrics in which a plastic film is provided on the surface of a nonwoven fabric, and laminated sheets in which a nonwoven fabric is laminated and bonded to a plastic film. It is preferable to use a liquid-impermeable and moisture-permeable material that is preferably used from the viewpoint of preventing stuffiness for the liquid-impermeable sheet 11. As a moisture-permeable plastic film, a microporous plastic film obtained by kneading an inorganic filler into an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene to form a sheet and then stretching it in a uniaxial or biaxial direction is widely used. In addition, sheets that have been made liquid-impermeable without using a plastic film by methods such as nonwoven fabric using microdenier fibers, strengthening leak-proofing by reducing the voids in the fibers through the application of heat or pressure, and coating with a highly absorbent resin or a hydrophobic resin or a water repellent agent can also be used as the liquid-impermeable sheet 11, but it is preferable to use a resin film in order to obtain sufficient adhesive strength when bonded to the cover nonwoven fabric 13 described below via a hot melt adhesive.

The liquid-impermeable sheet 11 is made to be wide enough to fit behind the absorbent element 50 as shown in the figure, but in order to improve leak-proofing, it can also be made to wrap around both sides of the absorbent element 50 and extend to both sides of the top sheet 30 of the absorbent element 50. The appropriate width of this extension is about 5 to 20 mm on each side.

(Absorption element)
The absorbent element 50 has an absorbent body 56 and a wrapping sheet 58 that wraps the entire absorbent body 56. The wrapping sheet 58 may be omitted.

(Absorbent)
The absorbent body 56 can be formed by a fiber assembly. As the fiber assembly, in addition to stacked staple fibers such as cotton-like pulp and synthetic fibers, a filament assembly obtained by opening a tow (fiber bundle) of synthetic fibers such as cellulose acetate as necessary can be used. The fiber basis weight can be, for example, about 100 to 300 g/m ² when stacking cotton-like pulp or staple fibers, and can be, for example, about 30 to 120 g/m ² when the filament assembly is used. The fineness of the synthetic fibers is, for example, 1 to 16 dtex, preferably 1 to 10 dtex, and more preferably 1 to 5 dtex. In the case of a filament assembly, the filaments may be non-crimped fibers, but are preferably crimped fibers. The crimp degree of the crimped fibers can be, for example, about 5 to 75, preferably 10 to 50, and more preferably 15 to 50, per 2.54 cm. Also, uniformly crimped fibers can be used. It is preferable that highly absorbent polymer particles are dispersed and held within the absorbent body 56.

The absorbent body 56 may be rectangular in shape, but as shown in FIG. 7 and other figures, it is preferable to have an hourglass shape with a narrower constricted portion 56N in the middle in the front-to-rear direction than the front and rear ends, as this improves the fit of the absorbent body 56 itself and the rising gathers 60 around the legs.

The dimensions of the absorbent body 56 can be determined as appropriate as long as they extend in all directions from the urination opening position, but it is preferable that the absorbent body 56 extend to the periphery of the inner body 200 or its vicinity in the front-to-back direction LD and width direction WD. The symbol 56X indicates the overall width of the absorbent body 56.

(Superabsorbent polymer particles)
The absorbent body 56 may contain superabsorbent polymer particles in part or in its entirety. The superabsorbent polymer particles include not only "particles" but also "powder". As the superabsorbent polymer particles, those used in this type of disposable diaper can be used as they are. For example, it is preferable that the proportion of particles remaining on a 500 μm standard sieve (JIS Z8801-1:2006) when sieved (shaking for 5 minutes) is 30% by weight or less, and it is also preferable that the proportion of particles remaining on a 180 μm standard sieve (JIS Z8801-1:2006) when sieved (shaking for 5 minutes) is 60% by weight or more.

There are no particular limitations on the material that can be used for the superabsorbent polymer particles, but those with a water absorption capacity of 40 g/g or more are preferred. Superabsorbent polymer particles include starch-based, cellulose-based and synthetic polymer-based materials, and examples of materials that can be used include starch-acrylic acid (salt) graft copolymers, saponified starch-acrylonitrile copolymers, crosslinked products of sodium carboxymethylcellulose and acrylic acid (salt) polymers. The shape of the superabsorbent polymer particles is preferably the commonly used powder-like form, but other shapes can also be used.

The highly absorbent polymer particles preferably have a water absorption speed of 70 seconds or less, and particularly 40 seconds or less. If the water absorption speed is too slow, the liquid supplied to the absorbent body 56 tends to flow back out of the absorbent body 56, which is known as backflow.

The highly absorbent polymer particles preferably have a gel strength of 1000 Pa or more. This effectively prevents the sticky feeling after absorbing liquid, even when the absorbent body 56 is bulky.

The basis weight of the highly absorbent polymer particles can be appropriately determined according to the absorption amount required for the application of the absorbent body 56. Therefore, although it cannot be generally stated, it can be set to 50 to 350 g/ ^m2 . If the basis weight of the polymer is less than 50 g/ ^m2 , it becomes difficult to ensure the absorption amount. If it exceeds 350 g/ ^m2 , the effect becomes saturated.

(packaging sheet)
When the wrapping sheet 58 is used, the material may be tissue paper, particularly crepe paper, nonwoven fabric, polylaminated nonwoven fabric, a sheet with small holes, or the like. However, it is preferable that the sheet is one from which the superabsorbent polymer particles do not escape. When using nonwoven fabric instead of crepe paper, hydrophilic SMS nonwoven fabric (SMS, SSMMS, etc.) is particularly suitable, and the material may be polypropylene, a polyethylene/polypropylene composite, or the like. The basis weight is preferably 5 to 40 g/ ^m2 , particularly 10 to 30 g/ ^m2 .

The packaging structure of the packaging sheet 58 can be determined as appropriate, but from the standpoint of ease of manufacture and prevention of leakage of superabsorbent polymer particles from the front and rear edges, it is preferable to wrap the sheet around the front and rear surfaces and both sides of the absorbent 56 in a cylindrical shape, with the front and rear edges extending beyond the front and rear of the absorbent 56, and to join the overlapping parts of the wrap and the overlapping parts of the protruding front and rear edges with a joining means such as a hot melt adhesive or material welding.

(Rising gather)
The rising gathers 60 have rising parts 68 that rise from the sides of the inner body 200, and these rising parts 68 come into contact with the wearer's groin, around the legs, and to the buttocks to prevent side leakage. In the illustrated example, the rising gathers 60 have a base side part 60B that rises obliquely toward the widthwise center, and a tip side part 60A that rises obliquely from the intermediate part toward the widthwise outer side, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate, such as one that rises toward the widthwise center as a whole.

Explaining in more detail, the rising gathers 60 in the illustrated example are formed by folding back a band-shaped gathered sheet 62 having a length equal to the front-rear length of the inner body 200 in the width direction WD at its tip and folding it in two, and fixing a plurality of elongated gather elastic members 63 at intervals in the width direction WD between the folded-back portion and the sheet in the vicinity of the folded-back portion. The base end portion of the rising gathers 60 located opposite the tip portion (the end portion opposite the folded-back portion of the sheet in the width direction WD) is a root portion 65 fixed to the side portion on the back side of the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 of the inner body 200, and the portion other than the root portion 65 is a main portion 66 (portion on the folded-back portion side) extending from the root portion 65. The main body portion 66 has a root side portion 60B extending toward the center in the width direction, and a tip side portion 60A that is folded back at the tip of the root side portion 60B and extends outward in the width direction. The front-rear direction ends of the main body portion 66 are laid down portions 67 that are fixed to the side surfaces of the top sheet 30 in a laid down state, while the front-rear direction intermediate portion between them is an unfixed raised portion 68, and a gathered elastic member 63 that runs along the front-rear direction LD is fixed in a stretched state to at least the tip of the raised portion 68.

In the rising gathers 60 configured as described above, the contractile force of the gather elastic member 63 causes the rising portions 68 to rise up and come into contact with the skin as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3. In particular, when the root portion 65 is located on the back side of the inner body 200, the rising portions 68 rise up to open outward in the width direction in the crotch area and its vicinity, so that the rising gathers 60 come into contact with the legs on all sides, improving the fit. The root portion 65 can also be fixed to the front side of the inner body 200, for example, to the surface of both sides of the top sheet 30.

In the illustrated example of the rising gather 60, in a bent structure in which the main body portion 66 is made up of a root side portion 60B extending toward the center in the width direction and a tip side portion 60A folded back at the tip of the root side portion 60B and extending outward in the width direction, the tip side portion 60A and the root side portion 60B are joined in a fallen state at the fallen portion 67, and the root side portion 60B is joined in a fallen state to the top sheet 30. At least one of various hot melt adhesives applied by various methods and material welding means such as heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing can be used to join the opposing surfaces at the fallen portion 67. In this case, the joining of the root side portion 60B and the top sheet 30 and the joining of the tip side portion 60A and the root side portion 60B may be performed by the same means or by different means. For example, it is preferable to bond the base portion 60B and the top sheet 30 with a hot melt adhesive, and to bond the tip portion 60A and the base portion 60B with material welding.

As the gathered sheet 62, a nonwoven fabric that is soft and has excellent uniformity and hiding properties, such as spunbond nonwoven fabric (SS, SSS, etc.), SMS nonwoven fabric (SMS, SSMMS, etc.), or meltblown nonwoven fabric, which is treated with a water repellent treatment using silicone or the like as necessary, can be suitably used. In this case, the fiber weight of the nonwoven fabric is preferably about 10 to 30 g/ ^m2 . Also, as in the example shown in Figure 9, a waterproof film 64 can be interposed between the gathered sheet 62 folded in two.

Rubber thread or the like can be used as the gathered elastic member 63. When spandex rubber thread is used, the thickness is preferably 470 to 1240 dtex, more preferably 620 to 940 dtex. The elongation rate of the gathered elastic member 63 in the attached state is preferably 150 to 350%, more preferably 200 to 300%. The number of gathered elastic members 63 is preferably 2 to 6, more preferably 3 to 5. The appropriate spacing between the gathered elastic members 63 is 3 to 10 mm. With this configuration, the gathered elastic members 63 can easily come into contact with the skin in the area where they are arranged. The gathered elastic members 63 may be arranged not only on the tip side but also on the base side.

In the rising portion 68 of the rising gather 60, at least one of hot melt adhesives applied by various application methods and material welding fixing means such as heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing can be used to bond the inner layer and outer layer of the gather sheet 62 together and to fix the gather elastic member 63 sandwiched between them. Since bonding the entire surfaces of the inner layer and outer layer of the gather sheet 62 together impairs flexibility, it is preferable that the parts other than the adhesive part of the gather elastic member 63 are not bonded or are weakly bonded. In the illustrated example, hot melt adhesive is applied only to the outer peripheral surface of the gather elastic member 63 by an application means such as a comb gun or a surwrap nozzle, and the gather elastic member 63 is sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer of the gather sheet 62, so that the gather elastic member 63 is fixed to the inner layer and the outer layer of the gather sheet 62 and the inner layer and the outer layer of the gather sheet 62 are fixed only by the hot melt adhesive applied to the outer peripheral surface of the gather elastic member 63.

Similarly, the fallen portion 67 can be fixed using at least one of a variety of application methods of hot melt adhesive and material welding such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing.

(Side flap)
3, 4, 11, 13, 14, etc., side flaps 70 extending out to the sides of the absorbent body 56 are provided on both sides of the inner body 200, and it is preferable that side stretchable regions SG that stretch in the front-to-rear direction are formed in the side flaps 70. The side flaps 70 in the illustrated example have one or more elongated side elastic members 73 provided along the front-to-rear direction LD and spaced apart from each other, a first sheet layer 71 facing the outside of the side elastic member 73, and a second sheet layer 72 facing the inside of the side elastic member 73.

The sheet material constituting the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 is not particularly limited, and an appropriate nonwoven fabric can be selected, such as the nonwoven fabric that can be used in the above-mentioned rising gathers 60 and the above-mentioned exterior bodies 12F and 12B. In the example shown in Figures 3, 4, and 11, the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 are formed by extending the gather sheet 62 of the rising gathers 60, as described below. In this case, the front and rear ends of the side flaps 70 coincide with the front and rear ends of the rising gathers 60 (i.e., the front and rear ends of the interior body 200 in this case).

The side elastic members 73 are not particularly limited, and can be elongated elastic members similar to the gathered elastic members 63 described above. The extension rate of the side elastic members 73 in the attached state is preferably 150 to 350%, and more preferably 200 to 270%. The number of side elastic members 73 is preferably 2 to 16, and more preferably 6 to 10. The appropriate spacing between the side elastic members 73 is 5 to 10 mm.

The side elastic member 73 is fixed to the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72. Various application methods of hot melt adhesive HM and material welding such as heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing can be used to bond the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 together and to fix the side elastic member 73 sandwiched between them. If the bonding area of the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 is large, flexibility is lost, so it is preferable that the parts other than the adhesive part of the side elastic member 73 are not bonded or are weakly bonded. In the illustrated example, the hot melt adhesive HM is applied only to the outer peripheral surface of the side elastic member 73 by an application means such as a comb gun or a surwrap nozzle, and the side elastic member 73 is sandwiched between the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72. The side elastic member 73 is fixed to the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 and fixed between the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 only by the hot melt adhesive HM applied to the outer peripheral surface of the side elastic member 73.

The attachment range of the side elastic member 73 in the front-to-rear direction, i.e., the range in the front-to-rear direction in which the side stretchable region SG is formed, can be determined as appropriate, but it is preferable that it is the same as or wider than the front-to-rear range of the non-jointed portion 77 described below. It is also preferable that the front-to-rear range of the side stretchable region SG is the same as the contraction portion of the gather elastic member of the rising gathers, or extends further on both the front and rear sides than that.

The side flap 70 has three or more sheet layers including the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72. That is, in addition to the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75, it has at least one internal sheet layer 76 located between them. Some or all of these sheet layers may be formed of separate sheet materials, or may be formed by folding one sheet material once or multiple times. The internal sheet layer 76 can be appropriately selected from the aforementioned gathered sheet 62, the liquid-impermeable sheet 11, or a nonwoven fabric similar to the exterior bodies 12F and 12B described later, or can be formed by appropriately extending or folding the aforementioned gathered sheet 62 or the liquid-impermeable sheet 11.

It is preferable that the side flap 70 has a non-joined portion 77 where at least one of the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 is not joined to the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the sheet layer 70. The non-joined portion 77 is a portion that continues continuously or intermittently in the front-to-rear direction LD within a range in the width direction WD including the area between the side elastic member 73 located most to the side and the side edge of the side flap 70. In other words, as long as the non-joined portion 77 is not joined to either the innermost sheet layer 74 or the outermost sheet layer 75 or the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the sheet layer 70, some or all of the other layers may be joined, or all of the sheet layers in the thickness direction may be non-joined. For example, in the non-joined portion 77 of the example shown in Figures 3, 4, and 11, the non-joined portion between the innermost sheet layer 74 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the non-joined portion extends from the side edge to the fixed position of the most lateral side elastic member, and the non-joined portion between the outermost sheet layer 75 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the non-joined portion extends further toward the center in the width direction. In the non-joined portion 77 of the example shown in Figures 9, 10, and 12, the non-joined portion between the innermost sheet layer 74 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the non-joined portion between the outermost sheet layer 75 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the non-joined portion extends from the side edge to the center in the width direction beyond the fixed position of the most lateral side elastic member, but the former extends further toward the center in the width direction.

The dimension of the non-joined portion 77 in the width direction WD can be determined as appropriate, but is preferably 2 to 15 mm, and more preferably 5 to 10 mm. The dimension of the non-joined portion 77 in the front-rear direction LD is preferably 30% or more, and more preferably 40% or more, of the total length Y of the product. In the case of a pants-type disposable wearable article in which the front outer body 12F and the rear outer body 12B are spaced apart as in the illustrated example, the non-joined portion 77 preferably extends to a position where it overlaps with the front outer body 12F and the rear outer body 12B. In this case, it is preferable that the non-joined portion 77 extends over the entire front-rear direction LD of the inner body 200. It is also preferable that the non-joined portion 77 only extends to a position between the front and rear edges of the inner body 200 and the elastic members 16, 19 of the front outer body 12F and the rear outer body 12B closest to the leg opening LO side. Furthermore, the non-jointed portion 77 may only extend to a position between the elastic members 16, 19 on the front exterior body 12F and rear exterior body 12B closest to the leg opening LO and the edge of the leg opening LO (the rear edge of the front exterior body 12F and the front edge of the rear exterior body 12B).

In addition, the gap between at least one of the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping thereon is closed on both sides in the width direction WD of the non-jointed portion 77. As shown in the example, one side of the gap of the non-jointed portion 77 can be closed by folding back the sheet material constituting the innermost sheet layer 74 or the outermost sheet layer 75 at the side edge of the side flap 70, and the other side can be closed by joining the adjacent sheet layers in the thickness direction at appropriate locations using hot melt adhesive HM or welding means. Of course, both sides of the gap of the non-jointed portion 77 can also be closed by the same method, for example, by folding back the sheet material or using hot melt adhesive HM.

In this pants-type disposable diaper, the side flaps 70 contract in the front-rear direction LD as the side elastic members 73 contract, and as shown in FIG. 6, a side elastic region SG is formed in the portion of the side flaps 70 including the non-joined portion 77. That is, the pleats of the side elastic region SG are formed in the front-rear direction LD in the portion of the side flaps 70 including the non-joined portion 77. Here, the non-joined portion 77 is a portion where at least one of the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 and the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the non-joined portion 77 is not joined, and the gap between the sheet layers is closed on both sides of the non-joined portion 77 in the width direction WD. In addition, the non-joined portion 77 continues in the front-rear direction LD in a width direction WD range including the region between the side elastic members 73 located at the most lateral position and the side edge of the middle region L (a range in the width direction WD equal to or greater than the region). That is, a hollow portion 80 surrounded by sheet layers continues in the front-rear direction LD at the non-joined portion 77. As a result, the pleats formed in the non-jointed portion 77 are large and soft (i.e., highly cushioned) because at least one of the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 expands significantly. Therefore, these large and soft pleats are formed on the inside, outside, both inside and outside, or the entire thickness direction of the range including the side edges of the side flaps 70, so that the end of the leg opening LO feels good against the skin.

The side elastic members 73 may be located near the side edges of the side flaps 70, but it is preferable that the portion of the side flaps 70 from the side edges to the center in the width direction WD be free of the side elastic members 73 and include part or all of the non-jointed portion 77. In this way, when the side elastic members 73 are sufficiently spaced from the side edges of the side flaps 70 and the spaced portion includes part or all of the non-jointed portion 77, large, flexible and cushiony folds are formed over the entire thickness of the lateral side of the portion that is pressed against the skin when the product is held in the hand when putting on or purchasing the product or while it is being worn (i.e., the portion having the side elastic members 73), which is particularly preferable in terms of improving the feel of the end of the leg opening LO against the skin.

The positional relationship between the non-jointed portion 77 and the side elastic member 73 can be determined as appropriate, but as in the illustrated example, it is preferable to have at least one side elastic member 73 at a position that overlaps with the non-jointed portion 77 in the thickness direction, because the contractile force of the side elastic member 73 is directly applied to the non-jointed portion 77, and the shape of the pleats in the non-jointed portion 77 is well maintained.

In the non-jointed portion 77, the internal sheet layer 76 overlapping the back of the innermost sheet layer 74 or the outermost sheet layer 75 may be fixed to the adjacent sheet layer on the opposite side as shown in FIG. 12 (the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 in the illustrated example are bonded to each other with hot melt adhesive HM), but it is particularly preferable that the internal sheet layer 76 is not fixed to the adjacent sheet layers on both sides in the thickness direction as shown in FIG. 11. As a result, folds are formed independently in the internal sheet layer 76 by the contraction force of the side elastic member 73. In other words, the large bulging folds formed in the side flap 70 are supported by the folds of the internal sheet layer 76 formed independently on the inside, so that folds with better cushioning are formed in the side flap 70.

As shown in the illustrated example, the side flap 70 has a folded sheet layer that is folded back at the side edge of the side flap 70, and at least one of the innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 of the side flap 70 is preferably a portion on one side of the folded position of the folded sheet layer, since the cushioning of the pleats formed in the non-jointed portion 77 is particularly improved by the restoring force against the folding. The folded sheet layer refers to a pair of layers formed by folding back a sheet material.

One preferred example is the structure shown in Fig. 11. This side flap 70 has a double folded-back sheet layer folded back at its side edge. The innermost sheet layer 74 and the outermost sheet layer 75 of the non-joined portion 77 are the inner part and the outer part, respectively, sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the outside, and the internal sheet layer 76 includes the inner part and the outer part, respectively, sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the inside. In addition, the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 each include the inner part sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the inside, and the inner part sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the outside. Furthermore, the non-joined portion 77 includes a part where the outer part sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the outside and the outer part sandwiching the folding position of the folded-back sheet layer located on the inside are not joined. In this structure, by arranging a double folded sheet layer, two sheet layers other than the first sheet layer 71 and the second sheet layer 72 can be formed, and each of them has a restoring force against folding, so that pleats with better cushioning properties can be formed in the side flap 70 using less sheet material.

When the non-jointed portion 77 has a four-layer structure as in this example, it is preferable to construct the side flap 70 using the sheet of the rising gather 60 as in the example shown in Figure 11. That is, the folded sheet layer of the side flap 70 described above can be formed by a first portion P1 in which the two-layer structure of the sheet of the rising gather 60 extends from the starting point of the rising gather 60 to the side edge of the side flap 70, and a second portion P2 in which the two-layer structure of the sheet of the rising gather 60 is folded back at the side edge of the side flap 70 and extends toward the center in the width direction WD.

The side flaps 70 can also be omitted, as shown in the examples in Figures 9 and 10.

(Exterior body)
The exterior bodies 12F, 12B are composed of a rectangular front exterior body 12F which is a part that constitutes at least the waistline of the front body F, and a rectangular rear exterior body 12B which is a part that constitutes at least the waistline of the back body B, and the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B are not continuous on the crotch side, but are separated in the front-to-back direction LD (two-piece exterior type). This separation distance in the front-to-back direction can be, for example, about 40 to 60% of the total length Y. In the illustrated example, the lower edges of the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B are linear along the width direction WD, but the lower edge of at least one of the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B may be curved so as to fit around the legs.

In a pants-type disposable diaper with a two-part exterior, the interior body 200 is exposed between the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B. Therefore, in order to prevent the liquid-impermeable sheet 11 from being exposed on the back surface of the interior body 200, it is preferable to provide a cover nonwoven fabric 13 on the back surface of the interior body 200, which extends from between the front exterior body 12F and the interior body 200 to between the rear exterior body 12B and the interior body 200. The inner and outer surfaces of the cover nonwoven fabric 13 can be bonded to the opposing surfaces via a hot melt adhesive. The nonwoven fabric used for the cover nonwoven fabric 13 can be appropriately selected from the same material as the exterior bodies 12F and 12B, for example.

The exterior bodies 12F and 12B have a waist circumference portion that is a front-rear range corresponding to the waist region T. In the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the dimensions of the front-rear direction LD of the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B are equal as shown in FIG. 7, and the front exterior body 12F and the rear exterior body 12B do not have a portion corresponding to the middle region L. However, as shown in FIG. 8, the front-rear dimension of the rear exterior body 12B is longer than that of the front exterior body 12F, and the front exterior body 12F does not have a portion corresponding to the middle region L, but the rear exterior body 12B may have a buttocks cover portion C extending from the waist region T to the middle region L side. Although not shown, the front exterior body 12F may also have a groin cover portion extending from the waist region T to the middle region L side.

As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 12, the exterior body 12F, 12B has a first sheet layer 81 and a second sheet layer 82, and elastic members 15-19 provided between them. Each sheet layer 81, 82 can be a common sheet material or can be a separate sheet material. In the former case, the elastic members 15-19 can be provided between the inner and outer parts of a sheet material folded back at an appropriate position such as the edge of the waist opening WO or the edge on the leg opening LO side in part or all of the exterior body. In the illustrated example, the waist part W has a part including a folded back sheet material. For example, in the waist part W, the second sheet material 12H forming the second sheet layer 82 extends only to the edge of the waist opening WO, but the first sheet material 12S forming the first sheet layer 81 is folded back around the waist side edge of the second sheet material 12H and inwardly. In addition, this folded-back portion 12r is an interior cover layer that extends across the entire width of the exterior bodies 12F, 12B up to a position where it overlaps with the end of the waist opening WO side of the interior body 200. The interior cover layer may be formed by attaching a dedicated sheet material instead of folding back the first sheet material 12S.

The exterior bodies 12F, 12B incorporate elastic members 15-19 to improve the fit around the wearer's waist, and form an elastic region A2 that elastically expands and contracts in the width direction WD with the expansion and contraction of the elastic members. In this elastic region A2, the exterior bodies 12F, 12B contract with the contraction of the elastic members when in their natural length state, forming wrinkles or folds, and when stretched in the longitudinal direction of the elastic members, they can be stretched to a predetermined extension rate at which they are fully stretched without wrinkles. The elastic members 15-19 can be any known elastic member, such as a long and thin elastic member (illustrated example) such as rubber thread, as well as a band-shaped, net-shaped, film-shaped, or other such member, without any particular limitation. The elastic members 15-19 can be synthetic or natural rubber.

To explain the elastic members 15-19 in the illustrated example in more detail, a plurality of waist elastic members 17 are attached to the waist portion W of the outer bodies 12F, 12B at intervals in the front-rear direction so as to be continuous over the entire width direction WD. Furthermore, of the waist elastic members 17, one or more arranged in the region adjacent to the waist lower portion U may overlap the inner body 200, or may be provided on both sides in the width direction except for the width direction central portion overlapping with the inner body 200. The waist elastic member 17 is preferably made of 2 to 15, and more preferably 4 to ¹⁰ , rubber threads having a thickness of 155 to 1880 dtex, and especially 470 to 1240 dtex (in the case of synthetic rubber; in the case of natural rubber, a cross-sectional area of 0.05 to 1.5 mm2, and especially 0.1 to ^1.0 mm2) spaced at intervals of 2 to 12 mm, and especially 3 to 7 mm, and the resulting elongation rate in the width direction WD of the waist portion W is preferably 150 to 400%, and especially 220 to 320%. It is not necessary for the waist portion W to use waist elastic members 17 of the same thickness or to have the same elongation rate in all of its front-to-back directions LD; for example, the thickness or elongation rate of the elastic members 17 may be different in the upper and lower parts of the waist portion W.

In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of waist lower elastic members 15, 19 made of elongated elastic members are attached at intervals in the front-to-rear direction to the waist lower portion U of the exterior bodies 12F, 12B. The waist lower elastic members 15, 19 are preferably about 5 to ³⁰ pieces of rubber thread having a thickness of 155 to 1880 dtex, especially 470 to 1240 dtex (in the case of synthetic rubber; in the case of natural rubber, a cross-sectional area of 0.05 to 1.5 mm2, especially 0.1 to ^1.0 mm2) arranged at intervals of 1 to 15 mm, especially 3 to 8 mm, and the resulting elongation rate of the waist lower portion U in the width direction WD is preferably about 200 to 350%, especially 240 to 300%.

When the elastic members 15, 16, 19 are provided in the front-to-rear range including the absorbent body 56 as in the illustrated example of the lower waist portion U, in order to prevent contraction of the absorbent body 56 in the width direction WD in part or all of the absorbent body 56, it is preferable that the widthwise middle part (preferably including the entire adhesive part 21) including part or all of the part overlapping with the absorbent body 56 in the width direction WD is made into a non-stretchable region A1, and both sides in the width direction are made into stretchable regions A2, as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5. Of the stretchable region A2, the part located in the front-to-rear range LD including the side seal 12A is made into a lower waist stretchable region A3.

These stretchable regions A2 and non-stretchable regions A1 can be constructed by supplying elastic members 15-17, 19 between the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H, fixing the elastic members 15, 16, 19 with hot melt adhesive only in the stretchable region A2, and then cutting the elastic members 15, 16, 19 at one location in the middle of the width direction in the region having the absorbent 56 by applying pressure and heat or cutting them, or cutting almost the entire elastic members 15, 16, 19 into small pieces by applying pressure and heat or cutting them, so that stretchability remains in the stretchable region A2 while eliminating stretchability in the non-stretchable region A1. Unnecessary elastic members 18 that are not related to stretching remain in the non-stretchable region A1.

There are no particular limitations on the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H that can be used, but nonwoven fabric is preferred. When using nonwoven fabric, it is preferable that the basis weight per sheet is about 10 to 30 g/ ^m2 .

The elastic members 15-19 are fixed to the exterior body 12F, 12B by hot melt adhesive HM applied by various application methods. The first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 are preferably bonded by hot melt adhesive HM for fixing the elastic members 15-19 in the portions having the elastic members 15-19, respectively, and may be bonded by hot melt adhesive HM or material welding such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing in the portions not having the elastic members 15-19, or may not be bonded in part or in whole. In the portions having the elastic members 15-19 in the illustrated exterior body 12F, 12B, hot melt adhesive HM is applied only to the outer peripheral surfaces of the elastic members 15-19 by application means such as a comb gun or a surwrap nozzle, and the elastic members 15-19 are sandwiched between the sheet layers, so that the elastic members 15-19 are fixed to both sheet layers and fixed between both sheet layers only by the hot melt adhesive HM applied to the outer peripheral surfaces of the elastic members 15-19. The elastic members 15-19 may be fixed to both sheet layers only at both ends in the stretch direction of the stretch area A2.

(Gathered bottom edge)
1, 2, 5, 6 and 12, in this pants-type disposable diaper, the upper edge of the leg openings LO is the lower edge of the wing region J extending to both sides of the inner body 200 in the front outer body 12F and the rear outer body 12B. The lower end 80 of the wing region J has one or more elongated lower end elastic members 83 provided at intervals from each other along the width direction WD, a first sheet layer 81 facing the inside of the lower end elastic member 83, and a second sheet layer 82 facing the outside of the lower end elastic member 83.

5 and 12, the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H are folded inward at the edge of the leg opening LO, and the portions outside the folding positions are the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82, respectively. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 14, appropriate modifications are possible, such as forming the first sheet layer 81 without folding the first sheet material 12S at the edge of the leg opening LO, and folding the second sheet material 12H outward at the edge of the leg opening LO, and forming the second sheet layer 82 with the portion outside the folding position. Instead of using the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H described above as the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82, the sheet material forming the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 can be added to the lower end 80 of the exterior body 12F, 12B, and as the sheet material, an appropriate nonwoven fabric can be selected, such as the above-mentioned rising gathers 60 or the nonwoven fabric that can be used in the above-mentioned exterior body 12F, 12B.

The lower end elastic member 83 in the illustrated example is the aforementioned lower waist elastic member 19 in the front outer body 12F, and the aforementioned cover elastic member 16 in the rear outer body 12B, but is not limited to this and a dedicated elastic member different from these in terms of material, stretch rate, arrangement, etc. can also be provided. The stretch rate of the lower end elastic member 83 in the width direction is preferably 200 to 350%, and more preferably 240 to 300%. When multiple lower end elastic members 83 are provided, the appropriate spacing in the front-to-rear direction is 5 to 10 mm.

The lower end elastic member 83 is fixed to the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82. Various application methods of hot melt adhesive HM and material welding such as heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing can be used to bond the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 together and to fix the lower end elastic member 83 sandwiched between them. If the bonding area of the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 is large, flexibility is lost, so it is preferable that the parts other than the adhesive part of the lower end elastic member 83 are not bonded or are weakly bonded. In the illustrated example, the hot melt adhesive HM is applied only to the outer peripheral surface of the lower end elastic member 83 by an application means such as a comb gun or a surwrap nozzle, and the lower end elastic member 83 is sandwiched between the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82, so that the lower end elastic member 83 is fixed to the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 and the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 are bonded together only by the hot melt adhesive HM applied to the outer peripheral surface of the lower end elastic member 83. In addition, if the bonding between the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 is insufficient simply by using the hot melt adhesive HM applied to the outer peripheral surface of the lower end elastic member 83, hot melt adhesive HM can be added appropriately to the areas that do not have the lower end elastic member 83.

The attachment range of the lower end elastic member 83 in the width direction, i.e., the range in the width direction WD in which the lower end gathers UG are formed, can be determined as appropriate. When there is a non-stretchable area A1 as in the illustrated example, the lower end elastic member 83 may be provided only on both sides of the non-stretchable area A1 in the width direction WD, or it may be provided over the entire width direction WD, but the stretchability may be killed in the middle of the width direction WD by cutting.

The lower end 80 of the wing region J has one or more sheet layers 84, 85 inside the second sheet layer 82. That is, in addition to the innermost sheet layer 87 and the outermost sheet layer 86, it has an internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the back side of the innermost sheet layer 87. Some or all of these sheet layers 81, 82, 84, 85 may be formed of separate sheet materials, or may be formed by folding a single sheet material once or multiple times. The internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer 87 may be formed by folding the first sheet material 12S or the second sheet material 12H as it is or as appropriate, or may be formed by adding a dedicated sheet material to the lower end 80 of the exterior body 12F, 12B. In the latter case, the dedicated sheet material may be an appropriate nonwoven fabric such as the above-mentioned rising gathers 60 or the nonwoven fabric usable in the above-mentioned exterior body 12F, 12B.

The lower end 80 of the wing region J is composed of a first region 80A located closer to the leg opening LO than the lower end elastic member 83 located at the lowest position, and a second region 80B located closer to the waist opening WO than the first region 80A. The first region 80A is joined to the innermost sheet layer 87 and the internal sheet layer 88 that overlaps the innermost sheet layer 87, and is connected to the twist prevention section 90 in the width direction WD, where the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 are joined. The sheet layers 81, 82, 84, and 85 in the twist prevention section 90 can be joined by hot melt adhesives H2 and H3 (or by welding the facing sheet layers). In the twist prevention section 90, it is preferable that the majority of the adjacent sheet layers in the thickness direction are joined, but it is not necessary that some of the sheet layers are not joined.

The dimension of the anti-twist portion 90 in the front-to-rear direction LD can be set as appropriate, but if it is too narrow, the anti-twist effect will be poor, and if it is too wide, the effect of improving the feel of the ends of the leg openings LO in the exterior bodies 12F, 12B against the skin will be poor, so in general, it is preferable for it to be 5 to 40 mm, and 10 to 40 mm is particularly preferable.

The second region 80B has a non-bonded portion 91 where the innermost sheet layer 87 and the internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer 87 are not bonded. In other words, as long as the innermost sheet layer 87 and the internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer 87 are not bonded, some or all of the other layers may be bonded, or all of the sheet layers in the thickness direction may be not bonded.

The non-jointed portion 91 is a portion that continues continuously or intermittently in the width direction WD within the second region 80B. The dimension of the non-jointed portion 91 in the front-to-rear direction LD can be determined as appropriate, but is preferably 20 to 60 mm, and more preferably 30 to 50 mm. The dimension of the non-jointed portion 91 in the width direction WD is preferably 50% or more, more preferably 90% or more, and even more preferably 100% of the dimension in the width direction WD between the interior body 200 and the side seal 12A.

In particular, in the case of a pants-type disposable wearable article in which the front outer body 12F and the rear outer body 12B have a non-stretchable region A1 and a stretchable region A2 as in the illustrated example, the laminated structure of the wing region J (including the non-jointed portion 91) may be provided across the entire width of the product or only in the stretchable region A2.

Furthermore, the non-jointed portion 91 is a portion in which the gap between the innermost sheet layer 87 and the internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the outer side of the non-jointed portion 91 is closed on both sides in the front-to-rear direction LD of the non-jointed portion 91. As shown in the example, one side of the gap of the non-jointed portion 91 can be closed by folding back at least one of the sheet materials constituting the innermost sheet layer 87 and the outermost sheet layer 86 at the lower edge of the wing region J, and the other side can be closed by appropriately bonding the sheet layers using hot melt adhesive H4 or welding means, etc. Of course, both sides of the gap of the non-jointed portion 91 can also be closed by the same method, for example, by folding back the sheet material or using hot melt adhesive.

In this disposable wearable article, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower end 80 of the wing region J contracts in the width direction WD as the lower end elastic member 83 contracts, and the lower end 80 gathers are formed in the portion of the lower end 80 of the wing region J including the non-jointed portion 91. That is, the pleats of the lower end 80 gathers are formed in the width direction WD in the portion of the lower end 80 of the wing region J including the non-jointed portion 91. Here, the non-jointed portion 91 is a portion where the innermost sheet layer 87 and the internal sheet layer 88 overlapping the outer side of the non-jointed portion 91 are not joined, and the gap between the sheet layers is closed on both sides of the non-jointed portion 91 in the front-rear direction LD. That is, the non-jointed portion 91 has a hollow portion surrounded by the sheet layers that continues in the width direction. As a result, the pleats formed in the non-jointed portion 91 are formed by at least the innermost sheet layer 87 expanding greatly, and are large and soft (i.e., highly cushioned). In addition, while pleats are formed in the second region 80B by the non-jointed portion 91, the first region 80A located on the leg opening LO side is less susceptible to deformation such as twisting due to the absence of the lower end elastic member 83 and the twist prevention portion 90 (which has high rigidity due to the joining of the sheet layers) continuing in the width direction WD. Therefore, in this pants-type disposable diaper, twisting is prevented at the end of the leg opening LO in the outer body 12F, 12B, while providing a pleasant feel against the skin.

The non-jointed portion 91 does not have to continue into the first region 80A, but if the non-jointed portion 91 continues into the first region 80A as in the illustrated example, the formation of folds in the non-jointed portion 91 is less likely to be restricted by the twist prevention portion 90, and the twist prevention portion 90 is preferably prevented from being pressed against the skin by the lower end elastic member 83, which can reduce the deterioration of the fit.

The positional relationship between the non-jointed portion 91 and the lower end elastic member 83 can be determined as appropriate, but as shown in the illustrated example, it is preferable to have at least one (preferably multiple) lower end elastic member 83 at a position that overlaps the non-jointed portion 91 in the thickness direction, because the contractile force of the lower end elastic member 83 is directly applied to the non-jointed portion 91, the shape of the pleats in the non-jointed portion 91 is highly retained, and the lower end elastic member 83 comes into contact with the skin through the cushioned pleats formed in the innermost sheet layer 87. From these points of view, it is preferable that the non-jointed portion 91 continues in the front-to-rear direction LD from within the first region 80A to at least the lowermost lower end elastic member 83 in the second region 80B.

The lower end 80 of the wing region J may have only one sheet layer 84 inside the second sheet layer 82 as shown in FIG. 14, but preferably has multiple layers 84, 85, 89 as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. In particular, in the latter case, if all the sheet layers 84, 85, 89 other than the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 are not joined to other sheet layers overlapping in the thickness direction in part or all of the front-to-rear direction LD in the non-jointed portion 91, the contractile force of the lower end elastic member 83 will form folds independently in each sheet layer 84, 85, 89 inside the second sheet layer 82 in the non-jointed portion 91, and these folds will overlap, resulting in a higher cushioning property of the lower end 80 of the wing region J.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H have folded-back portions (parts that become sheet layers 84, 85) that are folded back inward at the lower edge of the wing region J, and it is preferable that the innermost sheet layer 87 is the folded-back portion of the first sheet material 12S, and the inner sheet layer 88 is the folded-back portion of the second sheet material 12H. The upper ends of the folded-back portions of the first sheet material 12S and the second sheet material 12H can be joined to the opposing surfaces by hot melt adhesive H4 (or by welding). In this structure, by folding back the sheet materials that form the first sheet layer 81 and the second sheet layer 82 that sandwich the lower end elastic member 83, two layers of sheet layers 84, 85 inside the second sheet layer 82 can be formed, so that pleats with better cushioning properties can be formed at the lower end 80 of the wing region J with less sheet material.

The example shown in FIG. 13 is also preferred. In this structure, compared to the example shown in FIG. 12, the folded portion of the second sheet material 12H has a re-folded portion 89 folded back again to the leg opening LO side, while the folded portion of the first sheet material 12S does not have a re-folded portion folded back again to the leg opening LO side, and the folding position of the re-folded portion 89 is located at a non-jointed portion 91. By having such a re-folded portion 89, the cushioning properties of the lower end portion 80 of the wing region J are particularly excellent. In the illustrated example, the lower end portion of the re-folded portion 89 of the second sheet material 12H is joined to the opposing surface by hot melt adhesive H5 (or may be welded), but it may be left unjoined.

(Nonwoven fabric)
As the nonwoven fabric in the above description, known nonwoven fabrics can be appropriately used depending on the part and purpose. The constituent fibers of the nonwoven fabric can be selected without particular limitation, for example, synthetic fibers such as olefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyesters, polyamides, etc. (including single-component fibers and composite fibers such as core-sheath fibers), regenerated fibers such as rayon and cupra, natural fibers such as cotton, etc., and these can also be used in combination. In order to increase the flexibility of the nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use crimped fibers as the constituent fibers. In addition, the constituent fibers of the nonwoven fabric may be hydrophilic fibers (including those made hydrophilic by a hydrophilizing agent), hydrophobic fibers, or water-repellent fibers (including water-repellent fibers made water-repellent by a water-repellent agent). Furthermore, nonwoven fabrics are generally classified into staple fiber nonwoven fabrics, long fiber nonwoven fabrics, spunbond nonwoven fabrics, meltblown nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, thermal bond (air-through) nonwoven fabrics, needle punched nonwoven fabrics, point bond nonwoven fabrics, laminated nonwoven fabrics (SMS nonwoven fabrics, SMMS nonwoven fabrics, etc. in which a meltblown layer is sandwiched between spunbond layers), etc., depending on the fiber length, sheet formation method, fiber bonding method, and laminated structure, and any of these nonwoven fabrics can be used.

<Explanation of terms used in the specification>
As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings unless otherwise specified in the specification.

The "front-rear direction" refers to the direction indicated by the symbol LD in the figure (longitudinal direction), and the "width direction" refers to the direction indicated by the symbol WD in the figure (left-right direction), with the front-rear direction and the width direction being perpendicular to each other.

- "Front side" means the side closest to the wearer's skin when worn, and "back side" means the side farthest from the wearer's skin when worn.

- "Front" means the side closest to the wearer's skin when worn, and "back" means the side away from the wearer's skin when worn.

"Elongation rate" refers to the value when the natural length is 100%. For example, an elongation rate of 200% is equivalent to an elongation ratio of 2 times.

- "Gel strength" is measured as follows. 1.0 g of superabsorbent polymer is added to 49.0 g of artificial urine (a mixture of urea: 2 wt%, sodium chloride: 0.8 wt%, calcium chloride dihydrate: 0.03 wt%, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate: 0.08 wt%, and ion-exchanged water: 97.09 wt%) and stirred with a stirrer. The resulting gel is left in a thermo-hygrostat at 40°C x 60% RH for 3 hours, then returned to room temperature, and the gel strength is measured with a curd meter (I.techno Engineering: Curdmeter-MAX ME-500).

・"Basis weight" is measured as follows. After pre-drying the sample or test piece, leave it in a test room or device under standard conditions (test location: temperature 23±1°C, relative humidity 50±2%) until it reaches a constant weight. Pre-drying refers to bringing the sample or test piece to a constant weight in an environment at a temperature of 100°C. Note that pre-drying is not necessary for fibers with an official moisture regain of 0.0%. Using a sample collection template (100mm x 100mm), cut out a sample measuring 100mm x 100mm from the test piece that has reached a constant weight. Measure the weight of the sample and multiply it by 100 to calculate the weight per square meter, which is the basis weight.

"Thickness" is automatically measured using an automatic thickness measuring device (KES-G5 handy compression measurement program) under the conditions of a load of 0.098 N/cm ² and a pressurized area of 2 cm ² .

- Water absorption is measured according to JIS K7223-1996 "Water absorption test method for superabsorbent resins."

The water absorption rate is the "time to the end point" when 2 g of superabsorbent polymer and 50 g of saline are used to perform the "water absorption rate test method for superabsorbent polymers" according to JIS K7224-1996.

- "Expanded state" means a flat, unfolded state without contraction (including any contraction, such as contraction due to elastic members) or sagging.

- Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions of each part refer to the dimensions in the unfolded state, not the natural length.

-If there is no description of the environmental conditions for a test or measurement, the test or measurement shall be performed in a test room or equipment under standard conditions (the test location shall be a temperature of 23±1°C and a relative humidity of 50±2%).

The present invention can be used in pants-type disposable diapers such as the above example.

11...liquid-impermeable sheet, 12A...side seal, 12B...rear outer body, 12E...waist extension portion, 12F, 12B...outer body, 12F...front outer body, 12H...second sheet material, 12S...first sheet material, 13...cover nonwoven fabric, 15, 19...waist lower elastic member, 17...waist elastic member, 18...unnecessary elastic member, 20...overlapped region, 200...inner body, 21...adhesive portion, 30...top sheet, 40...middle sheet, 50...absorbent element, 56...absorbent body, 58...packaging sheet, 60...rising gather, 60A...tip side portion, 60B...base side portion, 62...gathered sheet, 63...gathered elastic member, 67...decumulating portion, 68...rising portion, 70...side flap , A1...non-stretchable area, A2...stretchable area, A3...lower waist stretchable area, B...back body, C...buttocks cover section, F...front body, H1...hot melt adhesive, HM...hot melt adhesive, L...middle area, LD...front-to-back direction, LO...leg opening, P1...first section, P2...second section, SG...side stretchable area, T...torso area, U...lower waist, W...waist section, WD...width direction, WO...waist opening, J...wing area, 80...lower end, 81...first sheet layer, 82...second sheet layer, 83...lower end elastic member, 80A...first section, 80B...second section, 86...outermost sheet layer, 87...innermost sheet layer, 88...internal sheet layer, 90...anti-twist section, 91...non-jointed section.

Claims (5)

The garment is provided with a front exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the front body and a rear exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the rear body, the front exterior body and the rear exterior body being spaced apart in the front-rear direction,
an inner body extending in a front-rear direction from the front outer body to the rear outer body and joined to the front outer body and the rear outer body,
The garment has side seal portions at which both side portions of the front exterior body and both side portions of the rear exterior body are joined together, a waist opening, and a pair of left and right leg openings,
The lower edges of the wing regions extending on both sides of the interior body in the front exterior body and the rear exterior body form upper edges of the leg openings,
The lower end of the wing region has one or more elongated lower end elastic members arranged at intervals along the width direction, a first sheet layer facing the outside of the lower end elastic member, and a second sheet layer facing the inside of the lower end elastic member,
The lower end elastic member is fixed to the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer.
In pants-type disposable wearable articles,
a lower end portion of the wing region having a plurality of sheet layers on the inner side of the second sheet layer;
a lower end portion of the wing region includes a first region located closer to the leg opening than the lower end elastic member located at the lowermost position, and a second region located closer to the waist opening than the first region;
In the first region, an innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer are joined, and a twist prevention portion in which the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are joined continues in the width direction,
In the second region, a non-jointed portion in which the innermost sheet layer and the inner sheet layer overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer are not joined continues in the width direction,
In a part or the whole of the non-joined portion in the front-rear direction, all the sheet layers other than the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are not joined to other sheet layers overlapping the non-joined portion in the thickness direction,
The sheet material of the first sheet layer and the sheet material of the second sheet layer have folded-back portions that are folded inward at lower edges of the wing regions,
the innermost sheet layer being a folded-back portion of the sheet material of the first sheet layer;
the inner sheet layer is a folded portion of the sheet material of the second sheet layer,
A gap between the innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer is closed on both sides of the non-jointed portion in the front-rear direction,
The lower end of the wing region is contracted in the front-to-rear direction by the contraction of the lower end elastic member, and a lower end gather is formed in a portion including the non-jointed portion at the lower end of the wing region.
A pants-type disposable wearing article. The twist prevention portion has a front-rear dimension of 5 to 40 mm.
2. The pants-type disposable wearing article according to claim 1. The non-jointed portion continues in the front-rear direction from within the first region to at least a lowermost lower end elastic member within the second region.
3. The pants-type disposable wearing article according to claim 1 or 2. the folded-back portion of the sheet material of the second sheet layer has a re-folded-back portion that is folded back again toward the leg opening side,
the folded-back portion of the sheet material of the first sheet layer does not have a re-folded-back portion that is folded back again toward the leg opening side,
The folding position of the re-folded portion is located in the non-jointed portion.
The pants-type disposable wearing article according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The garment is provided with a front exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the front body and a rear exterior body constituting at least the waist area of the rear body, the front exterior body and the rear exterior body being spaced apart in the front-rear direction,
an inner body extending in a front-rear direction from the front outer body to the rear outer body and joined to the front outer body and the rear outer body,
The garment has side seal portions at which both side portions of the front exterior body and both side portions of the rear exterior body are joined together, a waist opening, and a pair of left and right leg openings,
The lower edges of the wing regions extending on both sides of the interior body in the front exterior body and the rear exterior body form upper edges of the leg openings,
The lower end of the wing region has one or more elongated lower end elastic members arranged at intervals along the width direction, a first sheet layer facing the outside of the lower end elastic member, and a second sheet layer facing the inside of the lower end elastic member,
The lower end elastic member is fixed to the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer.
In pants-type disposable wearable articles,
a lower end portion of the wing region having one or more sheet layers on the inner side of the second sheet layer;
a lower end portion of the wing region includes a first region located closer to the leg opening than the lower end elastic member located at the lowermost position, and a second region located closer to the waist opening than the first region;
In the first region, an innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer are joined, and a twist prevention portion in which the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are joined continues in the width direction,
In the second region, a non-jointed portion in which the innermost sheet layer and the inner sheet layer overlapping the outer side of the innermost sheet layer are not joined continues in the width direction,
the sheet material of the second sheet layer has a folded portion folded inward at a lower edge of the wing region,
the innermost sheet layer being a folded-back portion of the sheet material of the second sheet layer;
the inner sheet layer is the second sheet layer,
A gap between the innermost sheet layer and an internal sheet layer overlapping the innermost sheet layer is closed on both sides of the non-jointed portion in the front-rear direction,
The lower end of the wing region is contracted in the front-to-rear direction by the contraction of the lower end elastic member, and a lower end gather is formed in a portion including the non-jointed portion at the lower end of the wing region.
A pants-type disposable wearing article.

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