Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A PANTS-TYPE DIAPER OR SANITARY PANTY
The present invention relates to an absorbent
article in the form of a pants-type diaper or a sanitary
panty which comprises an elongated absorbent body enclosed
between two casing sheets which at opposing front and rear
end parts of the absorbent body have side parts which extend
laterally beyond the absorbent body on both sides thereof.
So-called all-in-one diapers are being replaced to
an ever greater extent with pants-type diapers, or so-called
trainers, for slightly older diaper-wearing children.
Pants-type diapers have a number of good features. They fit
well on the wearer, they are easy to put on and take off
with the child in a standing position, they sit firmly in
place after having been put onto a child, and conform to the
anatomy of the child as the child moves, in a comfortable
fashion. Moreover, pants-type diapers resemble conventional
underpants and it is easy to understand how they shall be
used, thereby in many instances enabling somewhat older
diaper-wearing children to perform themselves the simple
operations required in putting on the diaper. However,
pants-type diapers, or trainers, also have certain
drawbacks. They are difficult to change while the user is
lying on his/her back and, when changing the diaper, require
any garment that is worn on top of the diaper to be removed
completely. Neither can a used pants-type diaper be rolled-
up and sealed in the same manner as an all-in-one diaper.
In addition, a dirty pant diaper which contains feces is
liable to soil the wearer when removing the diaper.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate
the aforesaid drawbacks.
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According to an aspect of the present invention,
there is provided an absorbent article in the form of a
pants-type diaper or sanitary panty, which includes an
elongated absorbent body enclosed between two casing sheets
which include side parts which at front and rear end parts
of the absorbent body extend laterally beyond the body on
both sides thereof, wherein mutually opposing front and rear
side parts are joined together by means of a fastener
element, which is attached to one of said mutually opposing
side parts by a first, strong join and releasably and
refastenably fastened to the other side part by means of a
second join which is weaker than the first join, wherein the
second join includes a first fastener means which is
destroyed when opening the second join for the first time,
and also includes a second refastenable fastener means.
According to a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the second join is stronger in a non-released
state than when resealed after being released for the first
time. The first fastener means is comprised of a weld join
or glue join and the second fastener means is comprised of a
mechanical fastener type and the mechanical fastener is the
fastening type. The fastener element is preferably
comprised of the male part of a ribbon-like self-fastening
fastener, i.e. that part of such a fastener which includes a
large number of hooks projecting from one surface thereof,
and the female part of the self-fastening fastener is
comprised of a nonwoven material which forms a casing sheet
of the article at the same time.
The invention will now be described in more detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment
of an inventive pants-type diaper;
Figures 2-4 are schematic perspective views of
parts of the side parts and fastener elements of a second,
third and fourth embodiment of an inventive pants-type
diaper; and
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Figure 5 is a schematic view from above of side parts and
fastener elements of a fifth embodiment of an inventive
pants-type diaper.
Figure l is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an
inventive pants-type diaper. A pants-type diaper is
intended to be put on in the same way as a pair of under-
pants, and is characterized by an elastic waist part which
can be stretched so as to enable the pant diaper to be
easily drawn over the wearer's hips when putting on and
removing the pant diaper, and which is so elastic as to
ensure that when worn the pant diaper will be held securely
in place by the contraction forces exerted by the
elastication in the waist part of the pant diaper. In order
to fulfil these functional requirements while, at the same
time, limiting the number of product sizes, the pant diaper
will preferably have a stretch which is greater than 80%,
i.e. it shall be possible to stretch the waist part to an
extent which corresponds to 1.8 times the circumference of
the waist part of a pants-type diaper in a relaxed state.
When the pant diaper is worn, the combined contraction
force in the waist part, i.e. the sum of the forces exerted
by the elastic provided in the front part, the rear part
and the side parts of the pant diaper, will preferably
exceed 3 N.
The pants-type diaper illustrated in Figure 1 is
constructed in the same way as the pants-type diaper
described in Swedish Patent Application No. 9200663-4, and
includes an absorbent body 1 enclooed batween an inner and
an outer casing sheet 2 and 3 respectively. The inner
casing sheet 2 is liquid-permeable and is comprised, for
instance, of nonwoven material compiled from fibres of
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester or mixtures thereof.
viscose fibres may also be used. It is also conceivable to
use a perforated plastic sheet, for instance a perforated
polyethylene sheet for the inner casing sheet. The outer
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casing sheet 3 is liquid-impermeable or at least hydropho-
bic and may, for instance, comprise a sheet of polyethylene
or nonwoven material which has been coated with or laminat-
ed with polyolefins, so as to be made liquid-impermeable or
at least hydrophobic. For aesthetic and psychological
reasons, the outer casing sheet 3 may be comprised of two
layers, an inner liquid-impermeable layer and a layer of
fabric-like material disposed outside the inner layer.
Thereby, the user will see and feel the pant diaper as less
plastic. When the outer casing sheet has this latter
construction, it is not necessary for the liquid-
impermeable sheet to have the same extension as the fabric-
like sheet, but may be smaller than said sheet, for
instance liquid-impermeable casing material can be omitted
from the side parts of the pant diaper.
The absorbent body 1 may contain cellulose fluff pulp with
or without an admixture of particles of so-called superab-
sorbent material and/or thermoplastic melt fibres. The
absorbent body 1 may be comprised of one or more layers.
The waist part 4 of the pants-type diaper illustrated in
Figure 1 includes a plurality of sequentially mounted
elastic threads, each of which extends transversely around
the circumference of the waist part. A relatively broad
elastic waist part is formed in this way. As will be
understood, elastic ribbons, bands or the like may be used
instead of elastic threads, or other elastically stretch-
able material can be used, such as elastically stretchable
plastic film, an elastically stretchable nonwoven material,
or like material.
Similar to a pair of underpants, the pants-type diaper
illustrated in Figure 1 has a waist opening 5 and two leg
openings 6 which are provided with leg elastic in a conven-
tional manner. The pant diaper is put on by inserting the
legs of the wearer through the leg openings 6 and then
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drawing the diaper up over the w.earer's hips. The
contraction forces exerted by the elastic elements at the
waist opening, i.e. at the uppermost part of the waist part
4, are preferably greater than the contraction forces
5 acting in the remainder of the waist part. This will ensure
that the pant diaper remains seated in its intended
position, even when the absorbent body is full of urine.
According to the invention, the front side parts 7, 8 of
the pants-type diaper are joined to respective opposing
rear side parts 9 and 10 by means of a fastener band 11. In
the case of the illustrated embodiment, the fastener bands
11 comprise Velcro type bands of eelf-fastening types.
That side of the bands 11 that face towards the outer
casing sheet 3 includes a large number of sponge-like
projections which grip in the meshes of the nonwoven
material from which the casing sheet is preferably
comprised and forms a releasable and retastenable join or
fastening between the fastener bands 11 and respective side
parts 7-10. Other types of self-fasteni.ng fastener means
which include male and female parts that present hooks and
eyes respectively may also be used, of course, wherein the
female parts are attached to the outer casing sheet.
In addition to being fastened to the side parts by self-
fastening fasteners, the bands 11 are also welded or glued
to the rear and front side parts as shown at 12 and 13
respectively. The joins 12 which fasten the bands 11 to
respective rear side parts 9, 10 are extremely strong and
are able to safely resist the loads to which the pant
diaper can be subjected in use. Preferably, this join, or
fastening, will be so strong that it cannot be broken
without tearing the band or the casing material, and can
therefore be considered to provide a permanent join in
' 35 practice. The joins, or fastenings, 13 which join the bands
11 to the respective front side parts 7 and 8 are much
weaker than the aforesaid join and function to ensure that
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the self-fastening type fasteners located between the
forward part of each front side part and corresponding part
of the bands 11 are not released unintentionally in normal
use of the pant diaper. When the pant diaper is used, these
latter joins are subjected to the heaviest loads as the
pant diaper is put on the wearer, and are thus dimensioned
to be able to absorb these loads.
It should be mentioned in this regard that the self-
fastening type fasteners of the illustrated embodiment of
the inventive pants-type diaper, and naturally also the
weld or glue joins 12, 13, are subjected essentially to
shear forces, which is the type of force against which
self-fastening fasteners are highly resistant, and hence
the joins 13 are not absolutely necessary from purely a
strength aspect. However, it may nevertheless be convenient
to provide a join 13 when manufacturing the pant diaper, so
as to ensure that the fastening afforded by the self-
fastening fastener is unbroken when the pant diaper is
delivered and to prevent the self-fastening join from being
subjected to unintentional peel forces when handling the
pant diaper, the self-fastening fastener having low
resistance to forces of this kind. An embodiment in which
the self-fastening join is made safe or locked in the
aforedescribed manner is preferred for these reasons.
As indicated in the aforegoing, the strength of the weld or
glue joins 13 is not greater than the force at which the
joins can be easily broken by the user without destroying
the bands 11 or the outer casing sheet 3. This enables the
pants-type diaper to be removed and changed, without
needing to completely remove pants, trousers or like
garments worn outside the diaper, by breaking the weld or
glue joins 13 and releasing the self-fastener join between
the bands 11 and the front side parts 7, 8, and therewith
enable the rear part or the front part of the pant diaper
to be inserted between the legs of the wearer. A pant
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diaper can be replaced, by breaking the weld or glue join
13 and releasing the self-fastening fastener between band
and front side parts, whereafter the front or the rear part
of the replacement pant diaper is inserted in between the
legs of the wearer. The mutually opposing front and rear
side parts are then fastened together, by refastening the
released self-fastening fasteners, whereafter the pant
diaper is drawn up to its final, correct position, in the
same way as a pair of underpants, unless this has already
been done when refastening the self-fastening fasteners.
Figures 2-5 are schematic views of parts of the front and
rear side parts and fastening elements of pants-type
diapers, these pant diapers differing from the pant diaper
illustrated in Figure 1 solely by virtue of the
configuration of the fastener elements and the
aforedescribed joins or fasteninge. The same reference
numerals as those used in Figure 1 are also used to
identify the side parts in Figures 2-5.
The fastener element 14 of the Figure 2 embodiment is
comprised of a strip of flexible and elastic material,
preferably a plastic material, which is either welded or
glued to the side part 9. That part of the strip which
overlaps its respective side part 7 presents an elongated
and outwardly projecting bead or rib 15, which extends
parallel with the side edge of the side part 7 and coacts
with a groove having a form complementary to the rib 15 in
a strip 16, this latter strip being securely af f ixed to the
side part 7 in some suitable manner. The bead and the
groove together form a releasable and refastenable
fastening or join between the strip 14 and the side part 7.
The strip 14 also includes a tear weakening in the form of
a groove 17 which extends parallel with the edge 7 of the
side part at some distance from the side edge of the part
of strip 14 that overlaps the side part 7. That part of the
strip 14 which lies between said side edge and the tear
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weakening 17 is fixedly attached to the underlying strip 16
in some suitable manner. Prior to tearing the bead-
containing part 15 of the strip 14 loose from the strip 16,
the releasable fastening or join is thus locked in
principly the same manner as in the first described
embodiment. According to one variant, the strips 14 and 16
may be moulded as a one-piece structure, wherein the tear
weakening will function as a hinge when folding the strips
14, 16 together so as to obtain the configuration shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 3 illustrates a further embodiment which differs
from the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 in that the
fastener element, which is also in this case comprised of
a plastic strip 18, is attached to the inside of the pant
diaper instead of to the outside thereof, as is the case in
the earlier described embodiments. That part of the strip
18 which overlaps its side part 8 includes a row of projec-
tions 19 which coact with recesses of complementary shape
formed in a strip 20 which is firmly connected to the side
part S. The tips of some or all of the projections 19 are
joined to the bottoms of respective recesses by means of a
suitable weak join, such as an easily separated weld or
glue join.
In the case of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the
fastener element, in the form of a strip 21, is firmly
joined to the inner surface of the side part 9 and releas-
ably joined to the outer surface of the side part 7. The
strip 21 also includes a tear weakening in the form of a
row of perforations 22 which delimit an outer edge part of
the strip, said edge part being welded or glued to the
casing material of the side part 7. The strip 21 is also
joined to the side part 7 by means- of a releasable or
refastenable join 23, which in this particular case is
formed by an adhesive coating.
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In the case of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, the
side parts 7 and 9 overlap one another and the fastener
element lying between said parts is comprised of a self-
fastening strip 24, one side of which presents outwardly
projecting sponge-like elements 25 which engage the side
part 7, the outer casing sheet of which side part is made
of nonwoven material and therewith forms the female part of
the self-fastening fastener, and the opposite side of which
strip 24 is firmly glued or welded to the side part 9, as
shown at 26. The self-fastener join may also in this case
be strengthened with an easily released weld or glue join
in the way described with reference to Figure 1.
Although the aforedescribed and illustrated exemplifying
embodiments have been directed solely to pants-type
diapers, it will be understood that the invention can also
be applied to sanitary panties, i.e. panties in which
absorbent bodies are included for absorbing menstrual
fluids and light incontinence discharges.
It will also be understood that the illustrated and
described exemplifying embodiments can also be modified in
many ways within the scope of the invention. For instance,
other types of refastenable fasteners than those illus-
trated can be used, for instance button and buttonhole
fasteners. The invention is therefore solely restricted by
the scope of the following Claims.
