Unicharm's US patent application for 'disposable wearing article' published online; patent filed on June 26, 2012

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

WASHINGTON , June 5, 2014 () – A patent application by the inventors Sasayama, Kenichi (Kanonji-shi, JP); Ichikawa, Makoto (Kanonji-shi, JP); Katsuragawa, Kunihiko (Kanonji-shi, JP), filed on June 26, 2012, was made available online on May 29, 2014, according to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by VerticalNews correspondents.

This patent application is assigned to Unicharm Corporation.

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Disposable wearing articles including a relatively thin liquid-absorbent structure are known. For example, JP 2006-158676 A (PTL 1) discloses a disposable wearing article including a liquid-permeable topsheet lying on a skin-facing side, a backsheet lying on a non-skin-facing side and a liquid-absorbent structure containing water-absorbent polymer particles only."

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent application, VerticalNews journalists also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent application: "Technical Problem

"In the wearing article disclosed in PTL 1, the absorbing region adapted to absorb and to contain bodily fluids is formed of the water-absorbent polymer particles only. In consequence, the wearing article is sufficiently thin to improve the wear feeling provided by the article and ensures bodily fluids to be quickly absorbed.

"However, the inventor (s) have recognized that the absorbing region formed of the water-absorbent polymer particles only or additionally containing fluff wood pulp at an extremely low percentage may result in poor shape retention and distinguishable change in shape as well as in thickness of the absorbent structure in comparison to the case in which the content of the water-absorbent polymer particles is substantially equal to the content of the fluff wood pulp. The fluff wood pulp is tinged with white and, even when bodily fluids are absorbed by the fluff wood pulp, such bodily fluids would not be visually recognized so easily through other sheets. In contrast, the water-absorbent polymer particles are slightly tinged with white or transparent and the absorbed bodily fluids might be visually recognized with relative ease from the outside. Therefore, if the absorbing region with the composition disclosed in PTL 1 is attached to the backsheet lying outside the absorbing region with adhesives, the change in the appearance inclusive of the shape, the thickness and the color of the absorbing region occurring before and after absorption of the bodily fluids may be easily visually recognized from the outside and result in disfigurement.

"Solution to Problem

"Some embodiments of the present invention provide a disposable wearing article having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. The article includes a chassis and a liquid-absorbent structure. The chassis includes a skin-facing side, a non-skin-facing side, a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between the front and rear waist regions. The liquid-absorbent structure is attached to the skin-facing side of the chassis to lie in the crotch region.

"The liquid-absorbent structure has front and rear ends extending in the direction of the transverse axis and opposite side edges extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the front and rear ends. The liquid-absorbent structure is attached to the chassis by means of liquid-absorbent structure bonding region. The liquid-absorbent structure bonding region includes opposite end bonding zones and opposite lateral bonding zones, and a central non-bonding region is surrounded by the opposite end bonding zones and the opposite lateral bonding zones. A central area of the liquid-absorbent structure corresponding to the central non-bonding region is free of direct attachment to the chassis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

"FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable diaper as one example of disposable wearing articles according to a first embodiment of this invention.

"FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway developed plan view of the diaper developed in the front-back direction after side seams have been peeled off as viewed from the inner side (skin-facing side) of the diaper.

"FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper.

"FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1.

"FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view of a liquid-absorbent structure.

"FIG. 6 is an unfolded plan view of a crotch layered sheet.

"FIG. 7 is a folded plan view of the crotch layered sheet.

"FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating a second embodiment.

"FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating a third embodiment.

"FIG. 10 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating a fourth embodiment."

URL and more information on this patent application, see: Sasayama, Kenichi; Ichikawa, Makoto; Katsuragawa, Kunihiko. Disposable Wearing Article. Filed June 26, 2012 and posted May 29, 2014. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=1393&p=28&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=20140522.PD.&OS=PD/20140522&RS=PD/20140522

Keywords for this news article include: Unicharm Corporation.

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