DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

COUCHES JETABLES

English Abstract

A disposable diaper having a stretchable sheet laid on
a basic diaper structure and this sheet is provided at
locations corresponding to urinary organs and anus with
openings, respectively, which are independent from each
other so as to prevent excrement from spreading over the
crotch zone of wearer and particularly to prevent excrement
from clinging to urinary and genital organs.

French Abstract

Couche jetable munie d'une doublure extensible fixée dans une couche ordinaire aux endroits correspondant aux organes de l'appareil urinaire et à l'anus, avec des ouvertures séparées de manière à éviter que les excréments soient transportés vers la fourche et, en particulier, pour empêcher que les excréments contaminent les organes génitaux et les organes de l'appareil urinaire.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A disposable diaper comprising a first
liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a
liquid-absorbent panel sandwiched these sheets to form a
basic diaper structure and additionally comprising a second
liquid-permeable topsheet overlaid said first
liquid-permeable topsheet and bonded at its longitudinally
opposite ends to said basic diaper structure, characterized
by that:
said second liquid-permeable topsheet is made of a
sheet being stretchable both in length and width; said
bonding is performed as said second liquid-permeable
topsheet is being stretched both in length and width; and
said second liquid-permeable topsheet is provided at
locations corresponding to the wearer's urinary organs and
anus with openings being independent from each other.
2. A disposable diaper according to Claim 1, wherein
said second topsheet has an elongating stress adjusted to
50 to 500g/inch and said panel has a bending resistance
adjusted to 5 to 20g~cm as measured according to the Taber
method.
3. A disposable diaper according to Claim 1, wherein
said second topsheet is made of nonwoven fabric.
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Description

2099074
DISPOSABLE DIAPERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to disposable diapers adapted
to absorb and hold body exudates such as urine and
excretions.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No.
1991-231664 discloses a disposable diaper comprising a
first liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable
backsheet, a liquid-absorbent panel sandwiched between
these sheets and a second liquid-permeable topsheet
overlaid on said first liquid-permeable topsheet and bonded
at longitudinally opposite ends thereof to said first
topsheet.
In the diaper disclosed in the above-identified patent
application, it is intended to put the second liquid-
permeable topsheet in contact with a wearer's skin over the
crotch zone so as to reliably hold excrements. However,
depending on particular characteristics of excretions (or
feces) as well as a fitness of the second liquid-permeable
topsheet to the crotch zone, it is apprehended that a mass
of excrements might be squeezed between the wearer's skin
and the second liquid-permeable topsheet and the wearer's
skin might be smeared over a wide area with excrements thus
uncontrollably spread. Should excrements cling to urinary
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209907~
and genital organs, the problem will be serious from the
sanitary view point.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention
to improve the second liquid-permeable topsheet so that the
above-mentioned problems may be effectively overcome even
when said second liquid-permeable topsheet is adopted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object set forth above is achieved, in accordance
with the invention, by a disposable diaper comprising a
first liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable
backsheet and a liquid-absorbent panel sandwiched between
these sheets to form a basic diaper structure and
additionally comprising a second liquid-permeable topsheet
overlaid said first liquid-permeable topsheet and bonded at
its longitudinally opposite ends to said basic diaper
structure, characterized by that said second liquid-
permeable topsheet is made of a sheet being stretchable
both in length and width; said bonding is performed as said
second liquid-permeable topsheet is being stretched both in
length and width; and said second liquid-permeable topsheet
is provided at locations corresponding to the wearer's
urinary organs and anus with openings being independent
from each other.
While the second liquid-permeable topsheet is put in
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20g9074
contact with the wearer's skin over the crotch zone, one of
said openings are properly aligned with the urinary organs
and the anus, respectively, so that discharged urine and
excrements may flow through the respective openings into a
space defined between the second liquid-permeable topsheet
and the first liquid-permeable topsheet underlying said
second liquid-permeable topsheet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described more in detail by way
of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 is a sketch showing an embodiment of a diaper
constructed according to the invention as erected:
Fig. 2 is a developed plan view showing, as partially
broken, said diaper; and
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line X-X in
Fig. 2, showing said diaper as being curved.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a basic diaper structure
comprises a first liquid-permeable topsheet 1, a liquid-
impermeable backsheet 2, a liquid-absorbent panel 3
sandwiched between said top- and back-sheets 1, 2, elastic
members 4, 5 provided between said top- and back-sheets 1,
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2099074
2 along the laterally opposite sides and along the rear
body's waist, respectively, and fasteners 6 connected to
the laterally opposite ends of the rear body's waist.
A second liquid-permeable topsheet 7 is laid on the
first liquid-permeable topsheet 1 and bonded at its
longitudinally opposite ends to the first liquid-permeable
topsheet 1 and the liquid-impermeable backsheet 2 as
indicated by an oblique broken lines area in Fig. 1. The
second topsheet 7 is stretchable both in length and width
and bonded to the basic diaper structure as said second
topsheet 7 is being stretched both in length and width so
that the second topsheet 7 has an actual width
appropriately narrower than the width of the first topsheet
1. The second topsheet 7 is provided at locations
corresponding to the wearer's urinary organs and anus with
openings 8, 9 when the diaper is put on the wearer so
dimensioned that urine and excrements discharged from the
respective organs may pass the respective openings 8, 9
without smearing the top surface of the second topsheet 7.
These openings 8, 9 are independent from each other leaving
a portion 10 therebetween. Though not shown, an elastic
member may be provided contractiblely at the lateral center
of the portion 10, that is, between of the openings 8, 9.
The second topsheet 7 has an elongating stress
adjusted to 50 to 500g/inch and the panel 3 has a bending
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2099074
resistance adjusted to 5 to 20g cm as measured according to
the Taber method. With a consequence, the first and second
topsheets 1, 7 are spaced from each other at the maximum
preferably by lOmm or more when the diaper is curved under
the elongating stress of the second topsheet 7 as shown by
Fig. 3.
The topsheets l, 7 may be made of any nonwoven fabric,
the backsheet 2 may be made of any suitable plastic film
and the panel 3 may be made of any suitable fluff pulp
mixed with superabsorbent polymer.
With the disposable diaper of the invention, as has
been described above, the second liquid-permeable topsheet
7 is provided with a pair of the openings 8, 9 adapted to
be aligned with urinary organs and anus, respectively, as
the second liquid-permeable topsheet 7 closely contacts the
wearer's skin over the crotch zone so that urine and
excrements discharged from the respective organs may flow
through the respective openings 8, 9 directly into the
space defined between the second liquid-permeable topsheet
7 and the first liquid-permeable topsheet 1. Accordingly,
there is no apprehension that the wearer's skin might be
smeared with excrements having been squeezed between the
wearer's skin and the second liquid-permeable topsheet 7
and spread. Particularly, the portion 10 of the second
liquid-permeable topsheet 7 interposed between the openings
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8, 9 and closely contacting the wearer's skin
advantageously functions as a barrier to prevent excrements
from flowing toward and clinging to the urinary and genital
organs.
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Representative Drawing