阅读说明：本技术 具有弹性改善的束带的吸收制品 (absorbent article with improved elastic belt ) 是由 G.D.拉冯 森本广一 程淳民 同玲 于 2017-07-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：吸收制品(20)具有前束带(60)和后束带(40),该前束带和后束带各自包括中心区(22)和基本上沿吸收制品(20)的横向延伸的第一周边区(63)和第二周边区(65)。至少第一束带在穿着者的低运动区中提供改善的贴合性,同时能够容易地适应于穿着者在低运动区之外的运动。(The absorbent article (20) has a front belt (60) and a back belt (40) each comprising a central region (22) and a first peripheral region (63) and a second peripheral region (65) extending substantially in the transverse direction of the absorbent article (20). At least the first belt provides improved fit in the low motion zone of the wearer while being able to readily accommodate movement of the wearer outside of the low motion zone.)

1. An absorbent article (20) comprising a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension

said absorbent article (20) having a front waist region (36) with a front waist edge (31) and a rear waist region (38) with a rear waist edge (32), said absorbent article (20) further comprising a crotch region (37) extending between said front and rear waist regions (36, 38),

The absorbent article (20) comprises a central chassis (22), a front belt (60) and a back belt (40);

The central chassis (22) comprising a first transverse chassis end edge (14), a second transverse chassis end edge (15), a first longitudinal chassis side edge (15) and a second longitudinal chassis side edge (16), a liquid permeable topsheet (24), a liquid impermeable backsheet (26) and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet;

The front belt (60) comprises a first front belt layer (61) disposed on an inner surface of the front belt (60), a second front belt layer (62) disposed on an outer surface of the front belt (60), and elastic strands (200) disposed between the first and second front belt layers (61, 62) extending substantially in the cross direction;

Wherein the elastic strands (200) of the front belt (60) comprise a plurality of first elastic strands (66) attached to one or both of the first and second front belt layers (61, 62) at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the plurality of first elastic strands;

Wherein the elastic strands (200) of the front belt (60) further comprise a plurality of second elastic strands (68) attached to one or both of the first and second front belt layers (61, 62) substantially along the full length of the elastic strands;

The rear belt (40) comprises a first rear belt layer (41) disposed on an inner surface of the rear belt (40), a second rear belt layer (42) disposed on an outer surface of the rear belt (40), and elastic strands (200) extending substantially in the transverse direction disposed between the first and second rear belt layers (41, 42);

Wherein the elastic strands (200) of the back belt (40) comprise a plurality of third elastic strands (46) attached to one or both of the first and second back belt layers (41, 42) at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the plurality of third elastic strands (46);

Wherein the elastic strands (200) of the back belt (40) further comprise a plurality of fourth elastic strands (48) attached to one or both of the first and second back belt layers (41, 42) substantially along the full length of the elastic strands.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the front belt (60) comprises first and second longitudinal front belt sides (86, 87) and the back belt (40) comprises first and second longitudinal back belt sides (55, 56), wherein the first longitudinal front belt side (86) is joined to the first longitudinal back belt side (55) to form a first side seam (57) and the second longitudinal front belt side (87) is joined to the second longitudinal back belt side (56) to form a second side seam (58), such that the absorbent article (20) comprises a waist opening, formed collectively by the front and back waist edges (32, 31), and a pair of leg openings.

3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2 wherein the front belt (60) has a central front belt zone (64), a first peripheral front belt zone (63) longitudinally distal from the central front belt zone (64) toward the front waist edge (31), and a second peripheral front belt zone (64) longitudinally proximal to the central front belt zone (64) toward the leg openings, the central front belt zone (64) having a first laterally peak extension force, the first peripheral front belt zone (63) having a second laterally peak extension force, and the second peripheral front belt zone (65) having a third laterally peak extension force, wherein the first laterally peak extension force is greater than one or both of the second and third laterally peak extension forces,

Wherein the back belt (40) has a central back belt region (44), a first peripheral back belt region (43) longitudinally distal of the central back belt region (44) toward the back waist edge (32), and a second peripheral back belt region (45) longitudinally proximal of the central back belt region (44) toward the leg openings, the central back belt region (44) having a fourth transverse peak extension force, the first peripheral back belt region (43) having a fifth transverse peak extension force, and the second peripheral back belt region (45) having a sixth transverse peak extension force, wherein the fourth transverse peak extension force is greater than one or both of the fifth transverse peak extension force and sixth transverse peak extension force, wherein the central front belt region (64) is disposed at a second distance (L2) longitudinally offset from the front waist edge (31), and the central rear belt region (44) is disposed at a first distance (L1) longitudinally offset from the rear waist edge (32), wherein the second distance (L2) is greater than the first distance (L1).

4. The absorbent article (20) of claim 3, wherein the first lateral peak extension force is at least 25% greater than one or both of the second lateral peak extension force and the third lateral peak extension force, and wherein the fourth lateral peak extension force is at least 25% greater than one or both of the fifth lateral peak extension force and the sixth lateral peak extension force.

5. The absorbent article (20) of claim 3 or 4, wherein the elastic strands of the second peripheral front belt region (65) and some or all of the elastic strands of the central front belt region (64) are severed to form discontinuous elastic strands, wherein a first front belt section (84) is disposed in a region toward the first longitudinal front belt side (86) and a second front belt section (85) is disposed in a region toward the second longitudinal front belt side (87) such that a region of the front belt (60) between the first and second front belt sections (84, 85) that overlaps the absorbent core of the central chassis (22) is free of elastic strands;

And wherein at least the elastic strands of a second peripheral back belt region (45) are severed to form discontinuous elastic strands, wherein a first back belt section (79) is disposed in an area towards the first longitudinal back belt side (55) and a second back belt section (80) is disposed in an area towards the second longitudinal back belt side (56) such that an area of the back belt (40) between the first and second back belt sections (79, 80) that overlaps with an absorbent core of the central chassis (22) is free of elastic strands.

6. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims 3-5, wherein some or all of the elastic strands of the first peripheral front belt region (63) extend across the full transverse dimension of the front belt (60) from the first longitudinal front belt side (86) to the second longitudinal front belt side (87);

And wherein some or all of the elastic strands of the first peripheral back belt region (43) extend across the full transverse dimension of the back belt (40) from the first longitudinal back belt side edge (55) to the second longitudinal back belt side edge (56).

7. The absorbent article (20) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the number of said unsevered elastic strands extending substantially across the full transverse dimension in the front belt (60) is lower than the number of said elastic strands being cut in the front belt (60).

8. The absorbent article (20) according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the number of uncut elastic strands extending substantially across the full transverse dimension is higher than the number of elastic strands being cut in the back belt (40).

9. The absorbent article (20) according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the backsheet comprises a nonwoven outer cover layer and a film inner layer, wherein at least some of the fourth elastics (48) overlap the film inner layer of the backsheet.

10. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first transverse chassis end edge (14) is longitudinally offset from the rear waist edge (32) of the absorbent article (20) and/or the second transverse chassis end edge (15) is longitudinally offset from the front waist edge (31) of the absorbent article (20).

11. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein in the front belt (50), the first front belt layer (61) and the second front belt layer (62) are adhesively joined to each other between adjacent pairs of elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands (66), and wherein in the rear belt (40), the first rear belt layer (41) and the second rear belt layer (42) are adhesively joined to each other between adjacent pairs of elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands (46).

12. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein some elastic strands of the front belt (60) and/or the rear belt (40) are arranged in one or more groups in one or more concentrated arrays (95), wherein each concentrated array (95) consists of two to four elastic strands, and wherein the elastic strands in the concentrated array (95) are longitudinally spaced apart from each other by a gap (90) of 2mm to 4mm, and wherein the elastic strands in the front belt and/or the rear belt outside the concentrated array (95) are longitudinally spaced apart from the concentrated array (95) and from each other by a gap (90) of 5mm to 10 mm.

13. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands (68) are continuously attached by adhesive to one or both of the first and second front belt layers (61, 62) substantially along the full length of the elastic strands, and elastic strands of the plurality of fourth elastic strands (48) are continuously attached by adhesive to one or both of the first and second back belt layers (41, 42) substantially along the full length of the elastic strands.

14. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands (68) differ from elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands (66) in one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of: strain of the elastic strands, distance between adjacent elastic strands, number of elastic strands forming the plurality of elastic strands, denier of the elastic strands.

15. The absorbent article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands (46) differ from elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands (48) in one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of: a strain of the elastic strands, a distance between adjacent elastic strands, a number of elastic strands forming the plurality of elastic strands, and a denier of the elastic strands.

16. The absorbent article (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein elastic strands of the first plurality of elastic strands (66) have a lower extension force than elastic strands of the second plurality of elastic strands (68) and elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands (46) have a lower extension force than elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands (48).

17. The absorbent article (20) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the central front belt region (64) and the central back belt region (44) only partially overlap when the absorbent article is laid flat to have the front and back belts (60,40) overlapping each other and the front and back waist edges (31,32) coinciding.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to absorbent articles that provide a sustained dynamic fit about the wearer. The absorbent article includes a front belt and a back belt. The front belt and the back belt each comprise elastic strands extending in the cross direction and disposed between the first belt layer and the second belt layer. The front and back belt each have a central belt region and first and second peripheral belt regions.

background

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles to absorb and contain urine and other body exudates. Absorbent articles not only serve to contain the exudates, but also to isolate these exudates from the body of the wearer and from the wearer's clothing and bedding.

however, absorbent articles tend to sag or gap away from the wearer's body during use and tend to slide/glide down on the wearer's body. This sagging/play and sliding/sliding is caused by the following factors: relative movement of the wearer as the wearer breathes, moves and changes position; the downward force generated when the absorbent article is loaded with bodily exudates; as well as deformation of the absorbent article material itself when subjected to such movements of the wearer. Such sagging/gapping and slipping/sliding of the absorbent article can result in premature leakage of the absorbent article and poor fit around the wearer.

Conventional absorbent articles are typically designed to fit highly over the abdomen and down the thighs of the wearer such that the article fits in the region of the wearer that is subject to dynamic motion (and thus dynamic forces) during use. These dynamic motions and dynamic forces, especially through abdominal distension and contraction, tend to deform the material from which the article is constructed and tend to push the article away from the body. As a result, the article tends to sag/gap away from the body. The anchoring systems of prior art articles are also typically designed to form waist and leg openings of defined dimensions and a horizontal line of tension (imparting tension along the line) around the wearer to secure the diaper on the wearer. However, the horizontal lines of tension created by prior art articles do not accommodate the changes in body dimensions caused by wearer motion, such that the diaper tends to slide/glide down on the wearer as the dimensions of the wearer's abdomen change. The prior art articles slide/glide down to the abdominal setting under the belt at the area of smaller size, which results in gaps at the waist and legs. Again, the absorbent core and other rigid inelastic elements of the prior art articles disposed in the regions of the abdomen or legs experiencing such dynamic forces are pushed downward or inward by the dynamic forces, resulting in further clearance/slippage of the product on the wearer.

Absorbent articles are generally available as taped and pant articles, as well as inserts. Typically, taped articles are packaged without pre-closing, while pant articles are pre-closed. Pant-type articles are often, but not necessarily, used for potty training. Generally, pants tend to have high forces just above the leg openings and at the waist to anchor the article to the wearer. However, these regions are regions where the wearer's anatomy moves substantially as the wearer moves. Thus, the relatively high forces in these "high motion zones" tend to cause a red marking of the skin and a limitation of the freedom of motion.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an absorbent article that provides better fit, reduced leakage, and wearer comfort. It would also be advantageous to provide an absorbent article that: the absorbent article has reduced sagging and gapping during use, as well as reduced overall slippage of the absorbent article on the wearer.

Disclosure of Invention

the present invention relates to an absorbent article comprising a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension.

The absorbent article has a front waist region with a front waist edge, and a back waist region with a back waist edge. The crotch region extends between the front waist region and the back waist region.

The absorbent article includes a central chassis, a front belt, and a back belt.

The central chassis includes a first transverse chassis end edge, a second transverse chassis end edge, a first longitudinal chassis side edge and a second longitudinal chassis side edge, a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet.

the front belt includes a first front belt layer disposed on an inner surface of the front belt, a second front belt layer disposed on an outer surface of the front belt, and elastic strands extending substantially in a transverse direction disposed between the first front belt layer and the second front belt layer.

The elastic strands of the front belt comprise a plurality of first elastic strands attached to one or both of the first front belt layer and the second front belt layer at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the plurality of first elastic strands.

the elastic strands of the front belt further comprise a plurality of second elastic strands attached to one or both of the first front belt layer and the second front belt layer substantially along the entire length of the elastic strands.

The back belt comprises a first back belt layer disposed on an inner surface of the back belt, a second back belt layer disposed on an outer surface of the back belt, and elastic strands substantially extending in the transverse direction disposed between the first back belt layer and the second back belt layer.

The elastic strands of the back belt comprise a plurality of third elastic strands attached to one or both of the first back belt layer and the second back belt layer at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the plurality of third elastic strands.

The elastic strands of the back belt also include a plurality of fourth elastic strands attached to one or both of the first back belt layer and the second back belt layer substantially along the entire length of the elastic strands.

The front belt may have a central front belt region, a first peripheral front belt region longitudinally distal from the central front belt region toward the front waist edge, and a second peripheral front belt region longitudinally proximal from the central front belt region toward the leg openings. The central region may have a first peak extension force in the transverse direction, the first peripheral leading belt region may have a second peak extension force in the transverse direction, and the second peripheral leading belt region may have a third peak extension force in the transverse direction. The first peak lateral extension force may be greater than one or both of the second peak lateral extension force and the third peak lateral extension force.

The back belt may have a central back belt region, a first peripheral back belt region longitudinally distal to the central back belt region toward the back waist edge, and a second peripheral back belt region longitudinally proximal to the central back belt region toward the leg openings. The central trailing belt zone may have a fourth laterally peak extension force, the first peripheral trailing belt zone may have a fifth laterally peak extension force, and the second peripheral trailing belt zone may have a sixth laterally peak extension force. The fourth peak lateral extension force may be greater than one or both of the fifth peak lateral extension force and the sixth peak lateral extension force.

The central front belt region may be disposed at a second distance longitudinally offset from the front waist edge and the central back belt region may be disposed at a first distance longitudinally offset from the back waist edge, wherein the second distance may be greater than the first distance.

Adjacent elastic strands of all of the plurality of elastic strands of the absorbent article may be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article to form a gap of 2mm to 15 mm.

The first and second front belt layers and the first and second back belt layers of the absorbent article may comprise apertures.

The front belt may comprise a first peripheral front belt region, a second peripheral front belt region, and a central front belt region, and the first peripheral front belt region and the second peripheral front belt region may comprise more elastic strands of the first plurality of elastic strands than elastic strands of the second plurality of elastic strands, and the central front belt region may comprise more elastic strands of the second plurality of elastic strands than elastic strands of the first plurality of elastic strands. The back belt may include a first peripheral back belt region, a second peripheral back belt region, and a central back belt region; and the first and second peripheral rear lacing regions may comprise more elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands than elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands, and the central rear lacing region may comprise more elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands than elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands.

the front belt of the absorbent article may comprise elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands alternating with elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands. The rear belt may comprise elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands alternating with elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary absorbent article of the present invention having permanent side seams that are positioned to be wrapped around a wearer.

fig. 2 is a plan view of an exemplary absorbent article of the present invention in a flat, laid-out configuration.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a pair of first and second straps attached to each other by a side seam plane.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another exemplary absorbent article of the present invention in a flat, laid-out configuration.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of yet another exemplary absorbent article of the present invention in a flat, laid-out configuration.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portions of the first and second straps attached to each other by a side seam plane.

Fig. 7A is a frontal coronal view of a wearer's body showing certain anatomical features and the location of low motion zones.

Fig. 7B is a posterior coronal view of the body of the wearer showing certain anatomical features and the location of low motion zones.

FIG. 7C is a side view of a wearer's body showing the angle of a line of primary tension that may be produced by an absorbent article of the present invention.

Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary package of a plurality of absorbent articles (taped or pant) of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of an example of a hanger type sample fixing jig according to the "full product force value measurement".

Detailed Description

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings specified below:

As used herein, "absorbent article" refers to devices that absorb and contain body exudates, and more specifically, refers to devices that are placed against or in proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb and contain the various exudates discharged from the body. The absorbent article may comprise a diaper (baby diaper and diaper for adult incontinence), a pant (for babies or for adults), an absorbent insert (which is intended to be inserted into an outer cover to form a diaper or pant), a feminine care absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin or panty liner, or the like. As used herein, the term "exudate" includes, but is not limited to, urine, blood, vaginal secretions, perspiration, and feces. Preferred absorbent articles of the present invention are disposable absorbent articles, more preferably disposable diapers and disposable pants.

As used herein, "disposable" is used in its ordinary sense to mean an article that is disposed of or discarded after a limited number of uses over different lengths of time (e.g., less than 20 uses, less than 10 uses, less than 5 uses, or less than 2 uses). If the disposable absorbent article is a diaper, a pant, a sanitary napkin, a catamenial pad, or a wet wipe for personal hygiene use, the disposable absorbent article is most often intended to be disposed of after a single use.

as used herein, "non-extensible" refers to a material that, when subjected to a force, elongates less than 30% beyond its original length if subjected to the following test:

A piece of rectangular material having a width of 2.54cm and a length of 25.4cm was held in an upright position by holding the piece along its entire width along its upper 2.54cm wide edge. A force of 10N was applied to the opposite lower edge along the full width of the material for 1 minute (at 25 ℃ and 50% relative humidity; the sample should be preconditioned for 2 hours at these temperature and humidity conditions before testing).

Immediately after one minute, the length of the sheet was measured with the force still applied, and the elongation was calculated by subtracting the initial length (25.4cm) from the length measured after one minute.

As used herein, a material is "extensible" if it elongates more than 30% beyond its original length (if subjected to the test described above).

As used herein, "highly inextensible" refers to a material that, if subjected to the tests described above for "inextensible" materials, elongates less than 15% beyond its original length upon application of a force.

As used herein, "inelastic" refers to a material that does not recover more than 20% if subjected to the test intended to be performed immediately after the test described above for "non-extensible".

After measuring the length of the rectangular piece of material with still 10N force applied, the force was immediately removed and the piece was flattened on the bench top for 5 minutes (at 25 ℃ and 50% relative humidity) to enable it to recover. Immediately after 5 minutes, the length of the sheet was measured again, and the elongation was calculated by subtracting the initial length (25.4cm) from the length after 5 minutes.

The elongation after one minute with the force applied (as measured with respect to "inextensibility") was compared to the elongation after 5 minutes of the sheet being flattened on the countertop: if the elongation is not recovered by more than 20%, the material is considered "inelastic".

A material is considered "elastic" as used herein if it recovers more than 20%.

As used herein, "highly inelastic" refers to a material that is "non-extensible" or that does not recover more than 10% if subjected to the test described above for "inelastic".

With regard to the front and back belt of the present invention and the respective materials constituting these belts, extensible, inextensible, highly inextensible, elastic, inelastic and highly inelastic refer to the dimensions of the materials which are parallel to the transverse centerline of the absorbent article once the materials have been incorporated into the absorbent article. Thus, a sample length of 25.4cm for performing the above test corresponds to the transverse direction of the front and back belt (and the respective materials comprised) once the belt has been incorporated into an absorbent article.

As used herein, the term "comprising" refers to an open-ended term in which additional features, components, items or steps may be added. As used herein, the term "comprising" includes the terms "consisting essentially of and" consisting of. "consists of" means including only the features, components, or steps that follow the term "consists of" without including additional features, components, items, or steps.

As used herein, "diaper" and "pant" refer to absorbent articles that are generally worn by young children, infants, and incontinent persons about the lower torso so as to encircle the waist and the legs of the wearer and that are particularly adapted to receive and contain urine and feces. In a pant, as used herein, the longitudinal edges of the first and second waist regions are attached to each other to pre-form waist and leg openings. A pant is placed in position on the wearer by inserting the wearer's legs into the leg openings and pulling the pant absorbent article into position about the wearer's lower torso. The pant may be preformed by any suitable technique, including, but not limited to, joining together portions of the absorbent article using refastenable and/or non-refastenable bonds (e.g., seams, welds, adhesives, cohesive bonds, fasteners, etc.). The pant may be preformed anywhere along the circumference of the article (e.g., side fastened, front waist fastened). In a diaper, the waist opening and the leg openings are formed only when the diaper is applied to a wearer by: the longitudinal edges of the first waist region and the second waist region are bilaterally (releasably) attached to each other by a suitable fastening system.

"longitudinal" refers to a direction extending substantially perpendicular from a waist edge to a longitudinally opposing waist edge of an absorbent article when the article is in a flat, uncontracted state.

"lateral" refers to a direction running from a longitudinally extending side edge to a laterally opposing longitudinally extending side edge of the absorbent article and generally at a right angle to the longitudinal direction.

"proximal" and "distal" refer to the location of an element relatively near to or away from, respectively, the longitudinal or transverse centerline of an absorbent article (e.g., the proximal edge of a longitudinally extending element is located closer to the longitudinal centerline than the distal edge of the same element is located to the longitudinal centerline, relative to the same longitudinal centerline).

"body-facing" and "garment-facing" refer to the relative position of an element or the relative position of a surface of an element or group of elements, respectively. "body-facing" means that an element or surface is closer to the wearer during wear than some other element or surface. "garment-facing" means that an element or surface is farther from the wearer during wear than some other element or surface (i.e., the element or surface is closer to the wearer's garment, which may be worn over a disposable absorbent article).

Absorbent article

The absorbent article 20 as disclosed herein has a longitudinal centerline 100 with a longitudinal dimension and a transverse centerline 110 with a transverse dimension. The article has a front waist region 36 with a front waist edge 31 and a back waist region 38 with a back waist edge 32. The crotch region 37 is disposed between and connects the front waist region and the back waist region. The front waist edge 31 and the back waist edge 32 together form a waist opening to encircle the waist of the wearer when the article is put on the wearer. The absorbent article further includes a pair of leg openings that encircle the legs of the wearer when the article is worn on the wearer.

The absorbent article 20 includes a central chassis 22. The central chassis 22 comprises a liquid impervious backsheet 26, a liquid pervious topsheet 24 and an absorbent core disposed therebetween. The central chassis 22 has a first lateral chassis edge 14 and a second lateral chassis edge 15, a first longitudinal chassis side 12 and a second longitudinal chassis side 13. The first lateral edge 14 may be disposed in the back waist region 38 and the second lateral edge 15 may be disposed in the front waist region 36.

The absorbent article 20 further comprises a front belt 60 and a back belt 40. The front belt 60 may comprise a first longitudinal front belt side 86 and a second longitudinal front belt side 87, and the back belt 38 may comprise a first longitudinal back belt side 55 and a second longitudinal back belt side 56. The front belt 60 may comprise a first transverse front belt end edge 67 and a second transverse front belt end edge 70, and the back belt 40 may comprise a first transverse back belt end edge 47 and a second transverse back belt end edge 50.

The central chassis 22 may be attached to the front belt 60, for example, by joining the central chassis 22 to the front belt 60 at or adjacent to its second lateral chassis edge 15. The central chassis 22 may also be attached to the back belt 40, for example, by joining the central chassis 22 to the back belt 40 at or adjacent to its first lateral chassis edge 14. The central chassis 22 may, for example, be joined to the body facing surface of the first back belt layer 41 and may be joined to the body facing surface of the first front belt layer 61.

The central chassis 22 may be attached to the front and back belt 60,40 by any method known in the art, such as by adhesive, ultrasonic bonding, pressure bonding, thermal bonding, or combinations thereof.

The center chassis 22 may extend through the crotch region 37 of the absorbent article into the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38. The longitudinal dimension of the central chassis 22 may be the same as the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20 such that the first lateral edge 14 of the central chassis 22 coincides with the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20 and the second lateral edge 15 of the central chassis 22 coincides with the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20. Alternatively, the central chassis 22 may have a shorter longitudinal dimension than the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20, such that the first lateral chassis edge 14 is laterally offset from the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20 and the second lateral chassis edge 15 is laterally offset from the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20. In yet another alternative, the central chassis 22 may have a shorter longitudinal dimension than the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20 such that the first lateral chassis edge 14 is laterally offset from the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20 and the second lateral chassis edge 15 coincides with the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20. In yet another alternative, the central chassis 22 may have a shorter longitudinal dimension than the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20 such that the first lateral chassis edge 14 coincides with the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20 and the second lateral chassis edge 15 is laterally offset from the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20 (although it is desirable that it be laterally offset from the back waist edge 32).

Generally, if the central chassis 20 is longitudinally offset from the front and/or back waist edges 31,32 of the absorbent article 20, the offset in the front and/or back waist edges may be from 3% to 30% of the overall longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20, or from 5% to 25% of the overall longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article.

In a preferred embodiment, the central chassis 22 is longitudinally offset from the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20 less than it is offset from the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20. The ratio of posterior to anterior offset may be 1.1 to 5, preferably 1.5 to 3. This offset ensures that the central chassis 22 is primarily located within the low motion zone of the wearer (see below for more details). This is relevant because the central chassis 22 may be made of a non-extensible or highly non-extensible material. (notably, here, contrary to the test methods described above, to the extent that the terms "non-extensible" and "highly non-extensible" are used with respect to the central chassis, the direction of extensibility is determined in the machine direction

Fig. 2,4 and 5 are plan views of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of absorbent articles 20 of the present disclosure in a flat, uncontracted state (i.e., without elastic induced contraction). The body facing surface of the absorbent article 20 faces the viewer. The absorbent article 20 includes a longitudinal centerline 100 and a transverse centerline 110. The absorbent article 20 includes a central chassis 22, a front belt 60, and a back belt 40. The absorbent article 20 has a front waist region 36, a back waist region 38 opposed to the front waist region 36, and a crotch region 37 located between the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38. The waist regions 36 and 38 generally comprise those portions of the absorbent article 20 which, when worn, encircle the waist of the wearer. The waist regions 36 and 38 contain elastic strands 200 such that they gather about the waist of the wearer to provide improved fit and restraint. The crotch region 37 is that portion of the absorbent article 20 which, when the absorbent article 20 is worn, is generally positioned between the legs of the wearer.

Central foundation structure

The absorbent article 20 includes a central chassis 22. The central chassis 22 comprises a liquid impervious backsheet 26, a liquid pervious topsheet 24 and an absorbent core (not shown) disposed therebetween. The central chassis 22 has a first lateral chassis edge 14 and a second lateral chassis edge 15, a first longitudinal chassis side 12 and a second longitudinal chassis side 13. The first lateral chassis edge 14 may be disposed in the back waist region 38 and the second lateral chassis edge 15 may be disposed in the front waist region 36.

The opposing first and second longitudinal chassis sides 12, 13 may be oriented generally parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 of the absorbent article 20. However, for better fit, the first longitudinal chassis side 12 and the second longitudinal chassis side 13 may be curved or angled when viewed in plan view to create an absorbent article, for example, in the shape of an hourglass. The opposing first and second lateral chassis edges 14, 15 may be straight and oriented generally parallel to the lateral centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20.

The central chassis 22 comprises a liquid pervious topsheet 24, a liquid impervious backsheet 26 and an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26. The absorbent core has a body facing surface and a garment facing surface. The topsheet 24 may be joined to the absorbent core and/or the backsheet 26. The backsheet 26 may be joined to the absorbent core and/or the topsheet 24. The central chassis may have other structures, elements, or substrates positioned between the absorbent core and the topsheet 24 and/or backsheet 26, such as a fluid acquisition system disposed between the absorbent core and the topsheet 24. Although the topsheet 24, backsheet 26, and absorbent core may be assembled in a variety of well-known configurations, suitable configurations are generally described in the following U.S. patents: 3,860,003; 5,151,092; 5,221,274; 5,554,145, respectively; 5,569,234, respectively; 5,580,411, respectively; and 6,004,306.

The topsheet 24 is generally a portion of the absorbent article 20 that can be positioned at least partially in contact with or in close proximity to the wearer when the absorbent article is worn. A suitable topsheet 24 may be manufactured from a wide range of materials, such as porous foams; reticulated foam; perforating a plastic film; or woven or nonwoven webs composed of natural fibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester or polypropylene fibers), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. The topsheet 24 is generally compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Typically, at least a portion of the topsheet 24 is liquid permeable, thereby allowing liquid to readily penetrate through the thickness of the topsheet 24. One topsheet 24 useful herein is available from BBA Fiberweb (Brentwood, TN) under the supplier code 055SLPV 09U.

Any portion of the topsheet 24 may be coated with a lotion or skin care composition, as is known in the art. Examples of suitable lotions include those described in the following U.S. patents: 5,607,760; 5,609,587; 5,635,191; and 5,643,588. The topsheet 24 may be fully or partially elasticized or may be foreshortened so as to provide a void space between the topsheet 24 and the absorbent core 28. Suitable structures including elasticized or foreshortened topsheets are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. nos. 4,892,536; 4,990,147; 5,037,416; and 5,269,775.

The absorbent core may comprise a wide variety of liquid-absorbent materials commonly used in disposable diapers, pants, and other absorbent articles. Examples of suitable absorbent materials include comminuted wood pulp, creped cellulose wadding, meltblown polymers, commonly known as airfelt, including coform; chemically stiffened, modified or cross-linked cellulosic fibers; tissue, including tissue wraps and tissue laminates; absorbing the foam; an absorbent sponge; superabsorbent polymers (SAP); or any other known absorbent material or combination of materials. These absorbent materials may be contained in one or more core wrap layers, which may include a core cover 95a (body facing top layer) and a dusting layer (garment facing bottom layer). The core wrap layer may be a nonwoven web. At least a portion or all of the absorbent core may be substantially cellulose free and comprise less than 10% cellulose fibers, less than 5% cellulose fibers, less than 1% cellulose fibers, no more than an insignificant amount of cellulose fibers or no cellulose fibers by weight. It is understood that insignificant amounts of cellulosic material do not materially affect the thinness, flexibility, and absorbency of the portion of the absorbent core that is substantially cellulose free. Among other benefits, it is believed that when at least a portion of the absorbent core is substantially cellulose free, that portion of the absorbent core is significantly thinner and more flexible than a similar absorbent core comprising more than 10% by weight of cellulose fibers. The amount of SAP in particulate form in the absorbent core may vary and may be greater than about 80 wt% of the absorbent core, or greater than about 85 wt% of the absorbent core, or greater than about 90 wt% of the absorbent core, or greater than about 95 wt% of the core (excluding the core wrap layer, if present, when calculating the percentage). The absorbent core 28 may comprise an adhesive, for example, to help secure the SAP within the core wrap layer and/or to ensure the integrity of the core wrap layer.

Exemplary absorbent structures for use as absorbent cores are described in the following patents: U.S. Pat. nos. 4,610,678; 4,673,402; 4,834,735; 4,888,231; 5,137, 537; 5,147,345; 5,342,338; 5,260,345, respectively; 5,387,207, respectively; 5,397,316, respectively; and 5,625,222.

The liquid impervious backsheet 26 is generally positioned such that it can form at least a portion of the garment-facing surface of the absorbent article 20. The backsheet 26 may be designed to prevent the exudates absorbed and contained by the absorbent article 20 from soiling articles that may contact the absorbent article 20, such as bed sheets and undergarments. Suitable backsheet 26 materials include films such as those manufactured by Tredegar Industries inc. (Terre Haute, IN) and sold under the trade names X15306, X10962, and X10964. Other suitable backsheet 26 materials may include breathable materials that permit vapors to escape from the absorbent article 20 while still preventing exudates from passing through the backsheet 26. Exemplary breathable materials may include materials such as woven webs, nonwoven webs, composite materials such as film-coated nonwoven webs, and microporous films such as those manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Co, (Japan) under the designation ESPOIR NO and those manufactured by EXXON Chemical Co, (Bay City, TX) under the designation EXXAIRE. Suitable breathable composites comprising the polymer blend are available from Clopay Corporation (Cincinnati, OH) under the name HYTREL blend P18-3097. Such breathable composites are described in more detail in PCT application WO 95/16746 and U.S. patent 5,865,823. Other breathable backsheets comprising a nonwoven web and apertured formed film are described in U.S. patent No. 5,571,096. One suitable backsheet is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 6,107,537. Other suitable materials and/or manufacturing techniques may be used to provide a suitable backsheet 26 including, but not limited to, surface treatments, specific film selections and processing, specific filament selections and processing, and the like.

the backsheet 26 may also consist of more than one layer. The backsheet 26 may comprise an outer cover layer and an inner layer. The outer cover layer may be made of a soft nonwoven material. The inner layer may be a film material. The backsheet 26 may include a graphic patch layer. At least one of the layers may comprise a single or multi-color print on one or more of the surfaces. The inner layer may be made of a substantially liquid impermeable film. The outer cover and the inner layer may be joined together by adhesive or any other suitable material or method. A particularly suitable outer cover is available from Corovin GmbH (Peine, Germany) under the supplier code a18AH0, and a particularly suitable inner layer is available from RKW Gronau GmbH (Gronau, Germany) under the supplier code PGBR4 WPR.

The absorbent article 20 may include a leg gasketing system 120. The leg gasketing system 120 may comprise an inner leg cuff that may comprise an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge. The leg gasketing system 120 may further comprise an outer cuff that may comprise an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge. The leg gasketing system may be a component of a central infrastructure.

The leg gasketing system 120 may include only the inner leg cuff.

the inner leg cuff and the outer leg cuff may be formed of a film and/or a nonwoven and may be joined using an adhesive. In one embodiment, the leg gasketing system 120 comprises one web of material. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the leg gasketing system 120 may be formed from a separate web material, a portion of the topsheet 24, and/or a portion of the backsheet 26.

The outer leg cuff may comprise elastic members 121 positioned in a transverse array between the outer cuff folded edge and the outer cuff material edge; the outer leg cuff optionally comprises at least two elastic members 121, at least three elastic members 121, but may comprise no more than five elastic members 121. In one embodiment, the elastic member 121 may be disposed between the outer cuff folded edge and the inner cuff material edge.

The leg gasketing system 120 may have an inner leg cuff that is constructed from an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge and one to four elastic members 122. The leg gasketing system 120 may further comprise an outer cuff that includes an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge.

Low motion zone

Fig. 7A and 7B show front and rear views of a wearer showing the location of low motion zones of the wearer. The shaded areas in the figure depict low motion areas. As defined by the anatomy of the wearer, a "low motion zone" is defined to mean a region or area of the body that remains substantially undeformed or undergoes minimal motion when in dynamic motion. As shown in fig. 7A, the low motion zone is defined by an arcuate line in the lower abdominal region of the stomach connecting each anterior superior iliac spine "S", passing through a crease or fold formed by the rectus abdominis muscle, hereinafter referred to as the abdominal crease "T". The abdominal fold is typically a fold or flex fold of the skin or muscles created by the abdomen when the wearer enters a sitting position. The low motion zone is bounded on each lateral side by an arcuate line connecting the anterior superior iliac spine to the periphery of the posterior inferior iliac spine, hereinafter referred to as the leg creases "L", through the perineum along the inguinal ligament below the gluteus maximus (along the hip folds). As shown in fig. 7B, the low motion zone is defined on the wearer's posterior hip by a line connecting the posterior inferior iliac spine along the dorsal lumbar curvature "R" (lumbar back) above the gluteus maximus. For purposes of the present invention, the low motion zone also includes a region or area of the gluteus maximus (although not shown in shadow in fig. 7B), regardless of the fact that the gluteus maximus undergoes some dynamic motion, as the forces generated in this region due to the wearer's motion tend to push the article up over the buttocks and into the lumbar curvature to enhance the fit of the article rather than reduce this fit.

The front and back belts of the absorbent article of the present invention may provide the article with an "anchoring system" for anchoring the article around the wearer during use of the entire absorbent article, so that the absorbent article has a reduced likelihood of sagging/gapping and slipping/sliding during use. The anchoring system provides one or more lines (zones) of tension (hereinafter referred to as primary lines of tension) substantially around the perimeter of the low motion zone that impart an anchoring force to maintain the position of the absorbent article throughout wear. As shown in fig. 7C, the primary power line is placed on the wearer's body at an angle a from horizontal (the angle from the transverse direction of the absorbent article) such that the primary power line extends from around the lumbar curvature of the back above the iliac crest of the buttocks to the abdominal crease. Thus, the main force lines are disposed in the regions of least change in body dimension (i.e., the main force lines are not disposed over the abdomen or gluteus maximus muscles that increase and decrease in size during movement) such that the main force lines stabilize and maintain an anchoring force that maintains the position of the absorbent article on the wearer such that the absorbent article is less likely to slide or glide downward during use due to the force of the wearer's movement or due to the increased weight of the absorbent article when it is loaded. The angled primary claims line created by the anchoring system also imparts an upward anchoring force to the absorbent article, which tends to pull the absorbent article upward onto the body and thus counteract the weight of the loaded article, as the primary claims line has a vector component in the longitudinal direction. The normal anchoring force generated by the main lines of force (the other vector component of the angled main lines of force) anchors the absorbent article in the low motion zone, as the normal anchoring force generates a pinching action to bring the article into close contact with the body. These normal anchoring forces thus help to maintain the fit of the absorbent article and reduce leakage, as the article, and particularly the absorbent core, is held in a substantially fixed position and in close relationship to the main body. Angled primary lines of force also tend to reduce the red marking of the skin because the anchoring force is placed in the low motion zone so that the body size does not increase or decrease along the primary lines of force which may result in a red marking.

The front belt 60 and the back belt 40 of the absorbent article of the present invention can exert higher stress in the low motion region (corresponding to the central front belt region and the central back belt region) between the leg opening region and the waist opening region than the regions of the front belt and the back belt outside the low motion region (corresponding to the first peripheral front belt region 63 and the second peripheral front belt region 65 and the first peripheral back belt region 43 and the second peripheral back belt region 45). Thus, an absorbent article is provided which is retained within the perimeter of the wearer's low motion zone and which provides for extension of the absorbent article at those portions of the low motion zone which are not conformed.

Front and rear belt

The absorbent article 20 of the present invention comprises a front belt 60 and a back belt 60. The front belt 60 is disposed in the front waist region 36. The front belt 60 may form the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20 alone or in combination with, for example, the second lateral chassis edge 15. The back belt 40 is disposed in the back waist region 38. The back belt 40 may form the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20 alone or in combination with, for example, the first transverse chassis edge 14.

The front belt 60 includes a first front belt layer 61 disposed on an inner (i.e., body-facing) surface of the front belt 60 and a second front belt layer 62 disposed on an outer (i.e., garment-facing) surface of the front belt 60.

The back belt 40 comprises a first back belt layer 41 disposed on the inner (i.e. body-facing) surface of the back belt and a second back belt layer 42 disposed on the outer (i.e. garment-facing) surface of the back belt.

The front belt 60 and the back belt 40 each further comprise elastic strands 200 extending substantially in the transverse direction of the absorbent article 20. The elastic strands 200 of the front belt 60 are disposed between the first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62. The elastic strands 200 of the back belt 40 are disposed between the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42.

The transverse direction extends parallel to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20. As used herein, an elastic strand that "extends substantially" in the cross direction includes deviations from the cross direction wherein the elastic strand extends at an angle of at most 30 °, or at most 20 °, or at most 15 °, or at most 10 °, or at most 5 ° to the cross direction centerline. Substantially along the transverse direction also includes parallel to the transverse direction (without deviation).

The elastic strands extending substantially in the transverse direction may extend linearly, i.e. they extend along a straight line. Alternatively, the elastic strands extending substantially in the transverse direction may be curved such that they intersect a line parallel to or at an angle (up to 30 °, or up to 20 °, or up to 15 °, or up to 10 °, or up to 5 °) to the transverse centerline of the absorbent article at least twice.

The elastic strands 200 may also be provided as a combination of the above-described patterns, such that, for example, some of the elastic strands extend in a straight line and parallel to the transverse centerline, while other elastic strands are bent and extend at an angle to the transverse centerline.

when the respective belt layer is laid flat and straightened with the elastic strands in a stretched state, it is determined whether the elastic strands 200 extend substantially in the cross direction.

The first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62 may each be made of one continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate). Alternatively, the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 may each be made of more than one sheet of material joined to each other along portions of their peripheries to form the first and second front belt layers, respectively. The first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62 may also be formed by folding a continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate) at the front waist edge 31. In addition, a continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate) may be folded at the front waist edge 31 and form a complete second front belt layer 62 and a portion of the first front belt layer 61, wherein the one or more other continuous sheets of material (which may each be a single layer of material or a laminate) are joined to the portion of the first front belt layer that is continuous with the second front belt layer and formed by the folding.

Likewise, the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 may each be made from one continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate). Alternatively, the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 may each be made of more than one sheet of material joined to each other along portions of their peripheries to form the first and second back belt layers 41, 42, respectively. The first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 may also be formed by folding a continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate) at the back waist edge 32. In addition, a continuous sheet of material (which may be a single layer of material or a laminate) may be folded at the back waist edge 32 and form a complete second back belt layer 42 and a portion of the first back belt layer 41, wherein the one or more other continuous sheets of material (which may each be a single layer of material or a laminate) are joined to the portion of the first back belt layer that is continuous with the second back belt layer and formed by the folding.

The rear belt 40 may have a larger longitudinal dimension than the front belt 60 because the rear belt 40 is intended to cover the hips of the wearer.

Band layer

the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 and the first and second back belt layers 41 and 42 may be non-extensible, non-elastic or highly non-elastic. They may be formed from the following materials: nonwoven webs, woven webs, knitted fabrics, polymeric films, apertured polymeric films, sponges, foams, scrims, and combinations and laminates thereof.

The nonwoven webs used to form the belt layers 41, 42, 61 and 62 may be formed by a direct extrusion process during which the fibers and webs are formed at exactly the same point in time; or by the formation of preformed fibers that can be laid into the web at a substantially subsequent point in time. Exemplary direct extrusion methods include, but are not limited to: spunbond, spin, melt blown, solvent spun, electrospun, carded, film fibrillated, melt film fibrillated, air laid, dry laid, wet laid staple fibers, and combinations thereof that typically form a layer.

Exemplary "webbing" methods include wet-laying and dry-laying. Exemplary dry-laid processes include, but are not limited to, air-laying, carding, and combinations thereof. Exemplary combinations include, but are not limited to, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS), spunbond-carded (SC), spunbond-air-laid (SA), meltblown-air-laid (MA), and combinations thereof, typically layered. The fibers in a nonwoven web are typically joined to one or more adjacent fibers at some overlapping juncture. This includes joining fibers within each layer, and also between layers when there is more than one layer. The fibers may be joined by mechanical entanglement (such as pressure bonding, thermal bonding), by chemical bonding, or by a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the nonwoven fabric can be an electrospun nonwoven web, a flash spun nonwoven web (e.g., tyvek (tm) manufactured by DuPont), or a combination thereof.

The nonwoven webs for the first and second front belt layers and for the first and second back belt layers may be made of polyolefin fibers, such as polypropylene (PP) or Polyethylene (PE); blends of PP and PE, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, rayon, cellulose, copolymers thereof, or blends or mixtures thereof. The nonwoven web of the belt layer may also be made of polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and/or blends or mixtures thereof.

The nonwoven webs used for the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 and for the first and second back belt layers 41 and 42 may also comprise fibers of a uniform structure, i.e., the fibers are monocomponent fibers; or bicomponent fibers, which may have a sheath/core configuration, a side-by-side configuration, a sea-island configuration, and other bicomponent configurations.

For nonwoven webs used as belt layers and made from bicomponent or multicomponent fibers, one component of the fibers (preferably the outer component) may be a soft polymer such as polyethylene or an elastic polyolefin, an elastic polyurethane. For example, in sheath/core bicomponent fibers, the sheath can be made of polyethylene and the core can be made of polypropylene. The individual components often include polyolefins such as polypropylene or polyethylene, or copolymers thereof, polyesters, thermoplastic polysaccharides, or other biopolymers. In some embodiments, the nonwoven may be a PE/PET (polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate) core/sheath bicomponent material, where the core is PET and the sheath is PE.

The nonwoven web of the belt layer may contain components such as aliphatic polyesters, thermoplastic polysaccharides, or other biopolymers as additives or modifiers.

One or both of the first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62 and/or one or both of the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 may be apertured. The use of a nonwoven web that has been apertured in the following manner to form one or both of the first front belt layer and the second front belt layer and/or one or both of the first back belt layer and the second back belt layer can provide an attractive and interesting effect. For example, during wear, as the belts are moved and stretched, the apertures and the material surrounding them interact with the contraction-induced wrinkles in the front and back belts. The apertures in the respective belt layers will open, close, change shape and be offset relative to the second (or fourth) belt layer, thereby providing a visual impression of complexity, depth and increased texture.

further, the pattern of apertures may be substantially similar to or the same as the pattern of prebondes in the nonwoven web (if present) in one or more of the machine direction spacing, cross direction spacing, aperture shape, and aperture size. For example, the pattern of pre-bonds may have a machine direction pitch and a cross direction pitch substantially similar to the pattern of holes. The use of a respective pattern of prebonds and apertures that are substantially similar in one or more of the aspects shown may help impart a more uniform, ordered, and/or consistent appearance to the material, as compared to a web in which the respective pattern of prebonds and apertures do not have such similarity, and may also help enhance tensile strength.

Elastic strand

The elastic strands 200 used in the front and rear belts 60 and 40 may have various cross-sectional shapes including, but not limited to, circular, oval, triangular, or square, and may be formed of various materials such as natural rubber and/or lycra. The material may also have a variety of cross-sectional areas, also known as decitex or denier.

The elastic strands 200 of the front belt 60 comprise a plurality of first elastic strands 66 and a plurality of second elastic strands 68. The elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 are attached to one or both of the first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62 (only) at or adjacent their respective laterally opposite ends. The elastic strands of the second plurality of elastic strands 68 are attached to one or both of the first and second front belt layers substantially along their entire length.

Likewise, the elastic strands of the back belt 40 comprise a plurality of third elastic strands 46 and a plurality of fourth elastic strands 68. The elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands 46 are attached to one or both of the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 (only) at or adjacent their respective laterally opposite ends. The elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands 48 are attached to one or both of the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 substantially along their entire length.

Belt with multiple zones

The front belt 60 of the absorbent article 20 of the present invention may have a central front belt region 64 and first and second peripheral front belt regions 63 and 65. The central front belt region 64 and the first and second peripheral front belt regions 63, 65 may each extend from the first longitudinal front belt side edge 86 to the second longitudinal front belt side edge 87 substantially across the entire cross direction of the front belt 60. The first peripheral front belt region 63 may be disposed longitudinally distally of the central front belt region 64 toward the front waist edge 31 (i.e., farther from the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20 than the central front belt region 64), and the second peripheral front belt region 65 may be disposed longitudinally proximally of the central front belt region 64 toward the leg openings (i.e., closer to the transverse centerline 110 than the central front belt region 64). The first peripheral front belt zone 63 may comprise the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20. The second peripheral toe strap region 65 may include those portions of the leg openings formed by the toe strap 60.

The rear belt 40 of the absorbent article 20 of the present invention may have a central rear belt region 44 and a first peripheral rear belt region 43 and a second peripheral rear belt region 45. The central back belt region 44 and the first and second peripheral back belt regions 43, 45 may extend across substantially the entire cross direction of the back belt 40 from the first longitudinal back belt side edge 55 to the second longitudinal back belt side edge 56. The first peripheral rear belt region 43 may be disposed longitudinally distally of the central rear belt region 44 toward the rear waist edge 32 (i.e., farther from the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20 than the central rear belt region 44), and the second peripheral rear belt region 45 may be disposed longitudinally proximally of the central rear belt region 44 toward the leg openings (i.e., closer to the transverse centerline 110 than the central rear belt region 44). The first peripheral back belt region 43 may comprise the back waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20. The second peripheral back belt region 45 may include those portions of the leg openings formed by the back belt 40.

The central front belt zone 64 may be disposed longitudinally offset from the front waist edge 31 by the second distance L2 (i.e., closer to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article), and the central back belt zone 44 may be disposed longitudinally offset from the back waist edge 32 by the first distance L1 (i.e., closer to the transverse centerline of the absorbent article). The second distance L2 may be greater than the first distance L1. The ratio of the second distance L2 to the first distance L1 may be 1.05 to 4, preferably 1.5 to 3. The second distance L2 is measured from the front waist edge 31 to the boundary line between the first peripheral front belt zone 63 and the central front belt zone 64. The first distance L1 is measured from the back waist edge 32 to the boundary line between the first peripheral back belt zone 43 and the central back belt zone 44.

The front waist edge 31 and the back waist edge 32 may be straight and extend parallel to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20. Likewise, the boundary line between the first peripheral front belt zone 63 and the central front belt zone 64 and the boundary line between the central front belt zone 64 and the second peripheral front belt zone 65 may be straight and parallel to the transverse centerline 110, and the boundary line between the first peripheral back belt zone 43 and the central back belt zone 44 and the boundary line between the central back belt zone 44 and the second peripheral back belt zone 45 may be straight and parallel to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20. When the respective belt layers are laid flat and straightened with the elastic strands in a stretched state, it is determined whether the front and back waist edges 31,32 and the boundary lines between the respective belt regions are straight.

The central front belt region 64, the first peripheral front belt region 63, and the second peripheral front belt region 65, and 1/3, which may each constitute a longitudinal front belt dimension. The central back belt region 44 and the first and second peripheral back belt regions 43 and 45 may each constitute 1/3 of the longitudinal back belt dimension. The central front belt zone 64, the first and second peripheral front belt zones 63, 65, the central back belt zone 44, and the first and second peripheral back belt zones 43, 45 may each have a laterally peak extension force. The lateral peak extension force of the first peripheral front belt region 63 and the second peripheral front belt region 65 may be lower than the peak extension force of the central front belt region 64. The transverse peak extension force of the first peripheral rear belt zone 43 and the second peripheral rear belt zone 45 may be lower than the peak extension force of the central rear belt zone 44.

Thus, the central front and back belt regions 64, 44 may be configured to provide a sustained fit within the low motion zone of the wearer, while the first and second peripheral front and back belt regions 63, 65 and 43, 45 may be disposed outside of the low motion zone with lower stress to increase the comfort of the wearer and reduce the red marking of the skin.

The elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 and the elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands 46 are attached to one or both of the first and second front belt layers 61, 62 or to one or both of the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 at or adjacent to the laterally opposite ends of the respective elastic strands, respectively.

The elastic strands in the plurality of first elastic strands 66 may not be attached to the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 in any other location other than at or adjacent to their laterally opposite ends. Alternatively, the elastic strands may be attached to the first front belt layer 61 and/or the second front belt layer 62 at or adjacent to their opposite ends at a spacing between their attachments.

Similarly, the elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands 46 may not be attached to the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 at any other location other than at or adjacent to their laterally opposite ends. Alternatively, the elastic strands may be attached to the first back belt layer 41 and/or the second back belt layer 42 at intervals between their attachments at or adjacent to their opposite ends.

Attaching the elastic strands of the first and third pluralities of elastic strands 66, 46 only at or adjacent to their respective opposite ends results in the elastic strands being free to extend and contract without being constrained in their motion by their attachment to the first and second front belt layers 61, 62 or to the first and second back belt layers 41, 42, respectively. This results in a lower force required for the elastic strands to stretch compared to the same elastic strands attached to one or both belt layers along substantially their full length. Thus, such attachment may result in improved comfort for the wearer during use, ease of application and lateral stretching of the belt to accommodate changes in body shape (e.g., due to movement of the wearer or stretching of the abdomen).

In addition, elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 may be attached to the first front belt layer 61 and/or the second front belt layer 62 at or adjacent to their opposite ends at a spacing between their attachments to adjust and control the force required to elongate the elastic strands. The spacing should be large enough to provide a relatively high degree of freedom for the elastic strands to be in an unconstrained extension. Thus, the spacing between adjacent attachments of elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands attached to the first front belt layer and/or the second front belt layer may be at least 20%, or at least 30%, or at least 40% of the overall length of the elastic strands when the elastic strands are in their relaxed, contracted state.

In addition, in the same manner, elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands 46 may be attached to the first back belt layer 41 and/or the second back belt layer 42 at or adjacent to their opposite ends at certain intervals between their attachments to adjust and control the force required to elongate the elastic strands. The spacing should be large enough to provide a relatively high degree of freedom for the elastic strands to stretch without binding. Thus, the spacing between adjacent attachments of elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands attached to the first and/or second back belt layers may be at least 20%, or at least 30%, or at least 40% of the overall length of the elastic strands when the elastic strands are in their relaxed, contracted state.

If the elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 are disposed close to each other, i.e., there are no elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 in between, the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 may be joined to each other between adjacent pairs of elastic strands (not shown in the figures) of the plurality of first elastic strands 66.

The first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 may also be joined to each other between adjacent pairs of elastic strands (not shown in the figures) of the third plurality of elastic strands 46 if the elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands 46 are disposed close to each other, i.e., without elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands 48 therebetween.

Due to the attachment between adjacent pairs of elastic strands to the first front belt layer 61 and/or the second front belt layer 62, and/or to the first back belt layer 41 and/or the second back belt layer 42, respectively, the elastic strands may substantially remain in their position relative to the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20, i.e. they may only be moved to a limited extent in the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article, without the need to attach the elastic strands to one or both belt layers across their full length extending in the transverse direction. Attaching the first and/or second front and/or back belt layers between adjacent pairs of elastic strands also supports the overall integrity of the belt, avoiding separation of the first and second layers from each other in areas where the first and third pluralities of elastic strands are disposed, which can lead to undesired displacement of the layers relative to each other. Thus, fit and comfort may be maintained during use of the absorbent article.

The elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 are attached to one or both of the first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62 substantially along the full length of the elastic strands in the transverse direction of the absorbent article 20. The term "substantially full length" includes attachments along the full length, but also includes attachments with insignificant gaps, where the elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 remain unattached to the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62. Such insignificant gaps are gaps that are less than 5%, or less than 3%, or less than 2% of the overall length of the elastic strands when the elastic strands are in their relaxed, contracted state.

The elastic strands of the plurality of fourth elastic strands 48 are attached to one or both of the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42 substantially along the full length of the elastic strands in the transverse direction of the absorbent article 20. The term "substantially full length" includes attachments along the full length, but also includes attachments with insignificant gaps, where the elastic strands of the plurality of fourth elastic strands 48 remain unattached to the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42. Such insignificant gaps are gaps that are less than 5%, or less than 3%, or less than 2% of the overall length of the elastic strands when the elastic strands are in their relaxed, contracted state.

Allowing such insignificant gaps allows for minor process variations when attaching the elastic strands to one or both of the respective belt layers.

The elastic strands within each of the first, second, third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands may be spaced apart from their respective adjacent elastic strands in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article by a gap 90 of 2mm to 15mm, or 2mm to 10mm, or 3mm to 10mm, or 4mm to 10mm (these values relate to the gap 90 between adjacent elastic strands). In each of the first, second, third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands, the gaps 90 between adjacent elastic strands in the longitudinal absorbent article direction may be the same. Alternatively, one or more of the plurality of elastic strands may have an elastic member having a greater gap between adjacent elastic strands than elastic strands in one or more other of the plurality of elastic strands.

Some of the elastic strands of the front and/or back belts may be arranged into groups of elastic strands having smaller gaps 90 than other elastic strands in the front and/or back belts 60,40, forming a concentrated array of elastic strands 95. The concentrating array 95 may include 2 to 4 elastic strands or 3 to 4 elastic strands. Such a concentrating array 95 is preferably formed by elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 and/or the plurality of fourth elastic strands 48. The gaps 90 between elastic strands in the concentrated array 95 may be 2-4mm, while the gaps 90 between other elastic strands may be greater than 4mm, but may not exceed 12mm, such as 5mm to 10mm, or 6mm to 10 mm.

Without being bound by theory, by disposing the elastic strands in such close proximity to each other, the collective array 95 exhibits the same behavior as if it were one elastic strand having a certain width, and provides various beneficial effects. For example, the concentrated array 95 provides more or less of the combined tension of the elastic strands in the array so that each elastic strand can be placed at a much lower tension. Furthermore, the gathers 130 created between the gaps 90 between the elastic strands of the gathered array 95 are so small that the area of the first front belt layer and/or the first back belt layer facing the wearer is significantly increased. Such increased area of material, in combination with the concentrated array of elastic strands, applies tension to the wearer across the entire distribution width as compared to the width of the individual elastic strands. That is, the collective array behaves as if it were an elastomer. Thus, the concentrated array can provide good fit to the wearer by using a relatively low density of elastic strands that are economically supplied. The reduction in tension in the concentrated regions may also reduce red marks on the skin of the wearer and provide a more comfortable and softer fit to the wearer than a single elastic strand. In addition, the concentrating array may provide an elastomeric appearance of a certain width similar to the elastomer provided on durable undergarments. Thus, providing a concentrated array can mean an underwear appearance or quality.

The concentrated array may provide more or less of the combined tension of the elastic strands in the concentrated array so that each elastic strand may be disposed at a relatively lower tension. The elastic strands used to form the concentrated array may have a density of no more than 1100 dtex or no more than 940 dtex and be disposed at an elongation of 150% to 300%.

The concentrating array 95 may be disposed in a region where higher tensile stress is desired. It may be particularly effective to provide at least two concentrating arrays 95. At least two concentrating arrays 95 may be disposed in the central front banding region 64. At least two concentrating arrays may be disposed in the central rear lacing zone 44. The tensile stress of the central leading banding region may be set higher than the tensile stress of any other region.

For adjacent elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 (without elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 therebetween), the first front belt layer 61 may be attached to the second front belt layer 62 between adjacent pairs of elastic strands, which is advantageously accomplished by an adhesive. Similarly, for adjacent elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands 46, the first back belt layer 41 may be attached to the second back belt layer 42 between adjacent pairs of elastic strands, which is advantageously done by an adhesive. Adhesive bonding can be better controlled than ultrasonic bonding. Ultrasonic bonding tends to generate too much heat to impinge on the area immediately surrounding the ultrasonic bond. This may adversely affect the elastic properties of the elastic strands or may otherwise damage the elastic strands, especially for relatively narrow gaps between adjacent elastic strands, such as less than 10mm or even less than 6mm spacing.

In addition, the bonding of the first front belt layer 61 to the second front belt layer 62 and the first back belt layer 41 to the second back belt layer 42, which may be continuous, i.e., not intermittent, between adjacent pairs of the first plurality of elastic strands 66 and the third plurality of elastic strands 46, respectively.

The elastic strands of the first and second pluralities of elastic strands 66, 68 may be disposed between the first and second front belt layers 61, 62 while the elastic strands 200 are in a spread stretched state. After having been joined to the first front belt layer 61 and/or the second front belt layer 62, the elastic strands are allowed to contract, thereby forming the gathers 130 in the first front belt layer 61 and the second front belt layer 62. The same applies to the rear belt 40: the elastic strands of the third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands 46, 48 may be disposed between the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 while the elastic strands 200 are in a spread, stretched state. After having been joined to the first back belt layer 41 and/or the second back belt layer 42, the elastic strands are allowed to contract, thereby forming the gathers 130 in the first back belt layer 41 and the second back belt layer 42.

By having a continuous adhesive attachment of the first front belt layer 61 to the second front belt layer 62 and a continuous attachment of the first back belt layer 41 to the second back belt layer 42 between adjacent elastic strands of the first and third plurality of elastic strands 66, 46, the gathers 130 of the first and second front belt layers 61, 62 and the first and second back belt layers 41, 42 obtained by contraction of the elastic strands 200 are more homogeneous and uniform. This contributes to a smoother and more uniform appearance of the belt, which provides more uniform elongation properties of the belt in the transverse direction and is generally perceived as more garment-like.

The front belt 60 has a first longitudinal front belt side 86 and a second longitudinal front belt side 87 and the back belt has a first longitudinal back belt side 55 and a second longitudinal back belt side 56. The longitudinal belt side edges 86, 87, 55 and 56 of the front belt 60 and the back belt 40 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 of the absorbent article 20.

The front belt 60 also has a first transverse front belt end edge 67 and a second transverse front belt end edge 70, and the back belt 40 has a first back belt end edge 47 and a second back belt end edge 50. The first transverse front belt end edge 67 of the front belt 60 may form the front waist edge 31 of the absorbent article 20. The first transverse rear belt end edge 47 of the rear belt 40 may form the rear waist edge 32 of the absorbent article 20.

The first transverse front belt end edge 67 of the front belt 60 may be substantially straight. The second transverse front belt end edge 70 of the front belt 60 may be substantially straight or may be curved.

Likewise, the first transverse rear belt end edge 47 of the rear belt 40 may be substantially straight. The second transverse rear belt end edge 50 of the rear belt 40 may be substantially straight or may be curved.

For example, those portions of the second transverse front belt end edge 70 and those portions of the second transverse back belt end edge 50 that contribute to forming the leg openings of the absorbent article 20 may have an arcuate shape such that the front belt 60 has its smallest longitudinal dimension (parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 of the absorbent article) at the first longitudinal front belt side 86 and the second longitudinal front belt side 87 and such that the back belt 40 has its smallest longitudinal dimension (parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 of the absorbent article) at the first longitudinal back belt side 55 and the second longitudinal back belt side 56. Those portions of the second transverse front belt end edge 70 and the second transverse back belt end edge 50 that overlap the absorbent core may be straight.

The front belt 60 and the back belt 40 are shaped such that the first front belt layer and the second front belt layer (or the first back belt layer and the second back belt layer), respectively, are flat, i.e. there are no more folds or wrinkles, and the elastic strands are in a stretched state, when the respective belts are stretched out.

the first longitudinal front belt side 86 may be attached to the first longitudinal back belt side 55 to form a first side seam 57. The second longitudinal front belt side 87 may be attached to the second longitudinal back belt side 56 to form the second side seam 58. The first side seam 57 and the second side seam 58 may be permanent.

The elastic strands of the first, second, third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands may be the same or the elastic strands of the first, second, third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands may be different from each other. For example, the elastic strands in the first and third pluralities of elastic strands may be the same, but may be different from the elastic strands in the second and fourth pluralities of elastic strands. Alternatively, the elastic strands in the first and second pluralities may be the same, but may be different from the elastic strands in the third and fourth pluralities.

Alternatively or in addition to providing the same or different elastic strands, the elastic strands of the first, second, third and fourth pluralities may be applied to the absorbent article in the same manner or may be applied differently from each other. For example, the elastic strands in the first and third pluralities of elastic strands may be applied in a different manner than the elastic strands in the second and fourth pluralities of elastic strands. Alternatively, the elastic strands of the first and second pluralities of elastic strands may be applied in a different manner than the elastic strands of the third and fourth pluralities of elastic strands (i.e., in another additional manner than the elastics of the first and third pluralities of elastic strands attached to the respective layer at or adjacent their laterally opposite ends and the elastics of the second and fourth pluralities of elastic strands attached to the respective belt layer substantially along their full length).

For example, the elastic strands of the first and third pluralities of elastic strands may differ from the elastic strands of the second and fourth pluralities of elastic strands in any of the following ways: a) strain of an elastic strand, b) distance between adjacent elastic strands, c) number of elastic strands forming a plurality of elastic strands, d) denier of an elastic strand, or e) a combination of two or more of a) through d).

In another example, the elastic strands of the first and second pluralities may differ from the elastic strands of the third and fourth pluralities in any of the following ways: a) strain of an elastic strand, b) distance between adjacent elastic strands, c) number of elastic strands forming a plurality of elastic strands, d) denier of an elastic strand, or e) a combination of two or more of a) through d).

In this way, the characteristics in the central region and the first and second peripheral regions can be further adjusted. For example, the first and second peripheral front lacing zones 63, 65 may have a lower strain than the central front lacing zone 64 and/or the first and second peripheral back lacing zones 43, 45 may have a lower strain than the central back lacing zone 44. Thus, the central front and rear belt regions 64 and 44 may be further configured to fit more closely on the wearer, while the first and second peripheral front and rear belt regions 63, 65, 43 and 45 may provide the wearer with increased freedom of movement and reduce red marks on the skin.

The front belt 60 may have a central front belt zone 64, a first peripheral front belt zone 63 longitudinally distal from the central front belt zone 64 toward the front waist edge 31, and a second peripheral front belt zone 65 longitudinally proximal to the central front belt zone 64 toward the leg openings. The central front belt zone 64 may have a first laterally peak extension force, the first peripheral front belt zone 63 may have a second laterally peak extension force, and the second peripheral front belt zone 65 may have a third laterally peak extension force. The first peak cd extension force may be greater than one or both of the second peak cd extension force and the third peak cd extension force, and the first peak cd extension force may be, for example, at least 25% greater, or at least 30% greater, or at least 40% greater, or at least 50% greater than one or both of the second peak cd extension force and the third peak cd extension force.

The back belt 40 may have a central back belt region 44, a first peripheral back belt region 43 longitudinally distal from the central back belt region 44 toward the back waist edge 32, and a second peripheral back belt region 45 longitudinally proximal to the central back belt region 44 toward the leg openings. The central rear belt zone 44 may have a fourth transverse peak extension force, the first peripheral rear belt zone 43 may have a fifth transverse peak extension force, and the second peripheral rear belt zone 45 may have a sixth transverse peak extension force. The fourth peak cd extension force may be greater than one or both of the fifth peak cd extension force and the sixth peak cd extension force, and the fourth peak cd extension force may be, for example, at least 25% greater, or at least 30% greater, or at least 40% greater, or at least 50% greater than one or both of the fifth peak cd extension force and the sixth peak cd extension force.

At the same time, it may be desirable to have a level of transverse contraction in the central front belt zone 64 that varies by no more than 250%, or no more than 200%, or no more than 150% from the level of transverse contraction in the first and second peripheral front belt zones 63, 65. Likewise, it may be desirable to have a level of transverse contraction in the central trailing belt zone 44 that varies by no more than 250%, or no more than 200%, or no more than 150% from the level of transverse contraction in the first and second peripheral trailing belt zones 43 and 45.

The lateral peak extension force and contraction level in the respective zones can be accommodated by suitably providing a plurality of first and second elastic strands and a plurality of third and fourth elastic strands within the front and rear belts:

The central front belt region 64 may have more elastic strands of the second plurality of elastic strands 68 than elastic strands of the first plurality of elastic strands 66, and the central rear belt region 44 may have more elastic strands of the fourth plurality of elastic strands 48 than elastic strands of the third plurality of elastic strands 46.

The first peripheral front belt region 63 and/or the second peripheral front belt region 65 may have more elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 than the plurality of second elastic strands 68, and the first peripheral back belt region 43 and/or the second peripheral back belt region 45 may have more elastic strands of the plurality of third elastic strands 46 than the plurality of fourth elastic strands 48.

The central front belt region 64 and the first and second peripheral front belt regions 63 and 65 may comprise elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 alternating with elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68.

Similarly, the central rear belt region 44 and the first and second peripheral rear belt regions 43 and 45 may comprise elastic strands of a plurality of third elastic strands 46 alternating with elastic strands of a plurality of fourth elastic strands 48. In such configurations, the elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 and the plurality of third elastic strands 46 may substantially remain in their positions relative to the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20, i.e., they may also only move to a limited extent in the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article without attaching the first and second front belt layers (or the first and second back belt layers, respectively) to each other between adjacent elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands and the plurality of third elastic strands. In contrast, the elastic strands of the plurality of first elastic strands 66 and the plurality of third elastic strands 46 are constrained in their motion along the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 20 by adjacent elastic strands of the plurality of second elastic strands 68 and the plurality of fourth elastic strands 48.

When the front 60 and back 40 belts of the absorbent article 20 (e.g., pants) are placed in an overlapping configuration such that the front 31 and back 32 waist edges coincide, for example by placing the absorbent article on a countertop, the central front belt region 64 may completely, or more preferably, only partially overlap the central back belt region 44. For example, those portions of the central front belt zone 64 that are more distal (i.e., farther than the remainder of the central front belt zone) than the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article may overlap those portions of the central back belt zone 44 that are more proximal (i.e., closer than the remainder of the central back belt zone) than the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article. The 10% to 80% or 20% to 60% of the central rear lacing zone 44 may overlap with the 5% to 50% or 10% to 40% of the central front lacing zone 64. The only partial overlap of the central front belt zone 64 with the central back belt zone 44 may result in an absorbent article in which the central front belt zone 64 extends further toward the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article relative to the central back belt zone 44. Meanwhile, the central rear belt region 44 may extend further toward the waist opening (i.e., toward the rear waist edge 32) than the central front belt region 64.

As described above and as shown in FIG. 7C, due to the wearer's body structure, the lines of asserted force are disposed at an angle α to the horizontal plane on the wearer's body (at an angle to the transverse direction of the absorbent article). Thus, by having the central front belt zone 64 only partially overlap the central back belt zone 44, an anchoring system may be provided that more properly takes into account the anatomy of the wearer.

The boundary between the central front belt region 64 and the first and second peripheral front belt regions 63, 65 may extend along a straight line and parallel to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20. Likewise, the boundary between the central back belt region 44 and the first and second peripheral back belt regions 43 and 45 may extend along a straight line and parallel to the transverse centerline 110 of the absorbent article 20 (the boundary being determined when the front belt layer is laid out flat and the elastic strands are stretched).

Some of the elastic strands of the central front belt region 64 may be severed across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands. Alternatively, all of the elastic strands of the central front belt region 64 may be severed across the transverse dimension to form discrete elastic strands. In addition, some or all of the elastic strands of the second peripheral front belt zone 65 may also be severed across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands.

None of the elastic strands of the first peripheral leading belt region 63 may be severed. Alternatively, it may also be desirable to sever some of the elastic strands of the first peripheral front belt region 63 across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands. However, the elastic strands of the first peripheral front belt zone 63 closest to the front waist edge 31 may not be severed to provide continuous elasticity around the waist opening.

If some of the elastic strands in the first peripheral front belt region 63 are severed, and/or some or all of the elastic strands in the central front belt region 64 and/or some or all of the elastic strands in the second peripheral front belt region 65 are severed, each of the discontinuous elastic strands is attached to one or both of the first and second front belt layers 61 and 62 (only) at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the discontinuous elastic strands in the first and second front belt sections 84 and 85, respectively.

The severed elastic strands in the front belt 60 form discontinuous elastic strands, wherein the first front belt segment 84 is disposed in an area toward the first longitudinal front belt side 86 and the second front belt segment 85 is disposed in an area toward the second longitudinal front belt side 87, such that the area between the first front belt segment 86 and the second front belt segment 87 that overlaps with the absorbent core of the central chassis 22 may be free of elastic strands. If only some of the elastic strands of the front belt 60 are cut, these will be adjacent elastic strands disposed longitudinally proximal to the leg openings, while those disposed longitudinally distal toward the front waist edge 31 remain uncut. In this way, a continuous first front belt section 84 and a continuous second front belt section 85 are formed instead of several first and second front belt sections being interrupted by elastic strands extending continuously across the complete cross direction of the front belt.

Similarly, in the rear belt 40, some of the elastic strands of the central rear belt region 44 may be severed across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands. Alternatively, all of the elastic strands of the central rear belt region 44 may be severed across the transverse dimension to form discrete elastic strands. In addition, some or all of the elastic strands of the second peripheral back belt region 45 may also be severed across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands.

None of the elastic strands of the first peripheral rear belt region 43 may be severed. Alternatively, it may also be desirable to sever some of the elastic strands of the first peripheral back belt region 43 across the transverse dimension of the absorbent article to form discrete elastic strands. However, the elastic strands of the first peripheral back belt region 43 closest to the back waist edge 32 may not be severed to provide continuous elasticity around the waist opening.

If some of the elastic strands in the first peripheral rear belt zone are severed, and/or some or all of the elastic strands in the central rear belt zone and/or some or all of the elastic strands in the second peripheral rear belt zone are severed, each of the discontinuous elastic strands is attached to one or both of the first and second rear belt layers (only) at or adjacent to laterally opposite ends of the discontinuous elastic strands in the first and second rear belt sections, respectively.

The severed elastic strands in the back belt 40 form discrete elastic strands, wherein the first back belt segment 79 is disposed in the region toward the first longitudinal back belt side 55 and the second back belt segment 80 is disposed in the region toward the second longitudinal back belt side 56, such that the region between the first back belt segment 79 and the second back belt segment 80 that overlaps with the absorbent core of the central chassis 22 may be free of elastic strands. If only some of the elastic strands of the back belt 40 are cut, these elastic strands will be adjacent elastic strands disposed longitudinally proximal to the leg openings, while those adjacent elastic strands disposed longitudinally distal toward the back waist edge 32 remain uncut. In this way, a continuous first back belt segment 79 and a continuous second back belt segment 80 are formed instead of several first and second back belt segments being interrupted by elastic strands extending continuously across the complete cross direction of the back belt.

The number of uncut elastic strands extending substantially across the full transverse dimension in the front belt 60 may be lower than the number of cut elastic strands in the front belt 60.

The number of uncut elastic strands extending substantially across the full transverse dimension in the rear belt 40 may be higher than the number of elastic strands in the rear belt 40 that have been cut.

Referring to fig. 4, at least some of the fourth elastics (48) may overlap the film interior layer of the backsheet in the back belt (60). The absorbent core may overlap the film inner layer of the backsheet where it overlaps the fourth elastic. Thus, the fourth elastic overlapping the film inner layer of the backsheet may provide stiffness to the overlapping area, thereby preventing bending/bunching of the absorbent core in this area, especially after loading.

If the absorbent article includes first and second side seams 57, 58, such as permanent side seams, the elastic strands of the front and back belts may or may not be included in the side seams. If the elastic strands are not contained in the side seams, the elastic strands may have their opposite ends (across the transverse dimension of the article) proximate the first and second side seams. The front belt and the back belt may be discontinuous from each other in the crotch region. Thus, neither the front nor the back belt can cover the entire body-facing surface, and neither the front nor the back belt can cover the entire garment-facing surface of the absorbent article.

Fastening system

The absorbent article 20 may also include a fastening system 140. When fastened, the fastening system 50 interconnects the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38, resulting in a waist circumference that provides a waist opening that encircles the wearer during wear of the absorbent article 20. This may be accomplished by interconnecting the back belt 40 in the back waist region 38 with the central chassis 22 in the front waist region 36 (if the absorbent article does not include a second belt), or by interconnecting the back belt 40 with the front belt 60 in the front waist region 36. The fastening system may be provided in a diaper without the permanent first side seam 57 and the second side seam 58. Alternatively, a fastening system may be provided in the pant in addition to the first and second permanent side seams 57, 58 to facilitate further adjustment of the waist opening, and/or to enable refastening of the pant if one or both of the side seams have been torn, such as when checking whether the pant may be soiled.

The fastening system 140 may include fasteners such as hook and loop fastening components, interlocking fasteners such as tabs and slots, buckles, buttons, snaps, and/or hermaphroditic fastening components, although any other known fastening means are generally acceptable. Some exemplary surface fastening systems are disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. nos. 3,848,594, 4,662,875; 4,846,815; 4,894,060; 4,946,527, respectively; 5,151,092; and 5,221,274. An exemplary interlocking fastening system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,098. The fastening system 140 may also provide a means for holding the article in a disposal configuration, as disclosed in U.S. patent 4,963,140. The fastening system 140 may also include a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, as disclosed in U.S. patent 4,699,622. Fastening system 140 may be configured to reduce shifting of overlapping portions or improve fit, as disclosed in the following U.S. patents: 5,242,436; 5,499,978, respectively; 5,507,736, respectively; and 5,591,152. The fastening tab may be attached to the first longitudinal back belt side edge 55 and the second longitudinal back belt side edge 56. They may be configured to extend laterally outward beyond the first and second longitudinal back belt side edges 55, 56. The engaging material of the fastening tab (e.g., hooks, adhesive, etc.) may be disposed on a portion of the fastening tab that extends laterally outward beyond the first and second longitudinal back belt side edges 55, 56. The fastening tab can be folded prior to use of the absorbent article to prevent the engaging material from engaging an unintended portion of the absorbent article (e.g., during manufacture of the absorbent article, or when the absorbent article is removed from the package prior to being applied to a wearer). When folded, the engaging material may contact a non-engaging surface, such as a film, a polymer layer, or a non-tacky adhesive layer, comprised of the back belt adjacent its first 55 and second 56 longitudinal back belt side edges. When removed from the package, the fastening tabs may unfold and engage a landing zone, such as a patch of loop material (typically on the front waist region of the central chassis or on the front belt).

Packaging piece

The absorbent articles of the present disclosure can be placed into a package. The package may comprise a polymer film and/or other materials. Graphics and/or indicia relating to the characteristics of the absorbent article may be formed on, printed on, positioned on, and/or placed on the exterior portion of the wrapper. Each package may include a plurality of absorbent articles. The absorbent articles can be stacked under compression to reduce the size of the packages while still providing a sufficient amount of absorbent articles per package. By enclosing the absorbent articles under compression, the caregiver can easily handle and store the package while also providing dispensing savings to the manufacturer due to the size of the package.

Thus, in accordance with the in-bag stack height test described herein, a package of absorbent articles of the present disclosure can have an in-bag stack height of less than about 100mm, less than about 95mm, less than about 90mm, less than about 85mm, but greater than about 75mm, less than about 80mm, less than about 78mm, less than about 76mm, or less than about 74mm, specifically reciting all 0.1mm increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Alternatively, the absorbent article packages of the present disclosure may have an in-bag stack height of from about 70mm to about 110mm, from about 70mm to about 95mm, from about 72mm to about 85mm, from about 72mm to about 80mm, or from about 74mm to about 78mm, specifically reciting all 0.1mm increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby, according to the in-bag stack height test described herein.

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary package 1000 comprising a plurality of absorbent articles 1004. The package 1000 defines an interior space 1002 in which a plurality of absorbent articles 1004 are located. A plurality of absorbent articles 1004 are arranged in one or more stacks 1006.

Test method

Transverse peak extension force

Test equipment/environment

A suitable tensile tester is used, such as MTS Alliance with MTS Testworks version 4.0 or equivalent instrument. A tester equipped with a flat-pressing jig capable of fixing at least the entire width of the sample should be used. The instrument was calibrated according to the manufacturer's instructions. The tests were carried out at 23 ℃. + -. 2 ℃ and 50%. + -. 2% relative humidity.

Sample preparation

If the absorbent article is a pant having permanent side seams between the first and second belts, the side seams of the article are broken to separate the belts. A zone (as described in the embodiments of the present invention) is cut out from the respective belt (including the central chassis component if it overlaps the respective belt zone) for measurement. Each separate zone of the respective belt will be referred to herein as a "test sample". All material layers, including the central chassis component (if present), should be held together with the test sample. All cut lines are straight and parallel to the transverse direction of the absorbent article. Each test sample needs to have at least one elastomeric material. The width (dimension in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article) of the respective zone is measured.

The length of the test sample is determined. The length of the test sample is determined. The length corresponds to the direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the absorbent article and is measured as the distance from one end of the test sample in a sufficiently stretched state to the other. The sufficiently stretched state is a state in which the test specimen is stretched by a force multiplied by 0.1N/mm of the width of the test specimen. If one or both ends of the test specimen are not parallel to the longitudinal direction, the shortest length within the test specimen is taken as the length of the test specimen.

The adjusted test specimen length is defined as the length of the test specimen minus the combined length of any material in the upper and lower grips. Thus, if the test specimen is mounted in the fixture such that 10mm at each end is fixed in the fixture, the adjusted tape length is the measured tape length minus 20 mm.

The test samples were kept unstretched for at least 10min prior to testing.

Testing

For each test specimen, the initial gauge length of the tensile tester is set to allow the test specimen to be installed in a relaxed state. The load cell is zeroed to offset the sample weight.

The test sample was pulled at a rate of 254mm/min in a direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the absorbent article, and the load (N) was measured within 5 seconds after the test sample reached 65% of the adjusted test sample length. Calculating the lateral peak extension force for each of the force zones according to the following formula:

The transverse peak extension force (N/mm) of the test specimen is the measured value (N)/width (mm) of the force zone

Level of shrinkage

a) Full product force measurement

The force was measured using an electronic tensile tester or equivalent instrument running TestWorks 4 software (available from MTS SYSTEMS (CHINA) co., LTD), with a computer interface such as MTS Criterion C42. The load cell is selected such that the force results for the tested sample will be between 10% and 90% of the capacity of the load cell used. The instrument was calibrated according to the manufacturer's instructions. All tests were carried out in a room maintained at 23 ℃. + -. 2 ℃ and 50%. + -. 2% relative humidity.

The tensile tester is equipped with a hanger type sample holding jig 300 as shown in fig. 9. Each clamp includes a rigid linear rubber coated horizontal bar portion 302 to prevent slippage of the sample during testing. The outer rod diameter (including the rubber coating) of the horizontal rod portion was 10.0 mm. The central axis of the horizontal bar portion 302 is configured to remain parallel and in the same vertical plane throughout the test. The gauge length circumference is determined by the following formula:

Gauge length perimeter 2 × (H + D + pi D/2)

Where H is the vertical gap between the horizontal rod portions 302 and D is the outer diameter of the rod.

The apparatus is arranged to pass the steps of:

Chuck speed	254.0mm/min
		Final load point	19.61N
Retention time	0
		Number of cycles	1
Data acquisition rate	50Hz

The sample article 20 is inserted onto the upper horizontal rod portion 302 such that the rod passes through the waist opening and one of the leg openings of the article. The grips are raised until the sample hangs over the lower bar and does not contact the lower bar 302. The load cell is tared and the jaw is lowered to insert the lower rod 302 through the waist opening and the other leg opening without stretching the article. The article is adjusted so that the longitudinal centerline 100 of the article is in a horizontal plane intermediate the upper and lower bars 302. The center of the side in contact with the lever 302 is on the same vertical axis as the instrument load sensor. The chuck was slowly raised while holding the article in place by hand as needed until the force was between 0.05N and 0.1N, taking care not to add any unnecessary force. The gauge length circumference at this time is the initial gauge length circumference. The test was started and the collet moved upward at 254mm/min until a force of 19.6N was achieved, after which the collet immediately returned to the original gauge length circumference at the same speed. The maximum circumference at 19.6N and the force at 70% stretched circumference during the stretched section of the test were recorded.

Circumference (mm) ═ 2 × (H + D + π D/2)

The maximum circumference at 19.6N is defined as the fully stretched circumference (mm). The 70% stretched circumference was defined as the fully stretched circumference x 0.7. Waist circumference force is defined as the force at 70% tensile circumference during the load (tensile) segment of the test.

five samples were analyzed and their average initial gauge circumference, average fully stretched circumference and average waist circumference force were calculated and reported to the nearest 1mm, 1mm and 0.01N, respectively.

b) Measurement of zone lateral dimensions

After the sample has been subjected to the full article force measurement test, the sample is prepared and processed as follows:

Test equipment/environment

a suitable tensile tester is used, such as MTS Alliance with MTS Testworks version 4.0 or equivalent instrument. A tester equipped with a flat-pressing jig capable of fixing at least the entire width of the sample should be used. The instrument was calibrated according to the manufacturer's instructions. The tests were carried out at 23 ℃. + -. 2 ℃ and 50%. + -. 2% relative humidity.

Sample preparation

If the absorbent article is a pant having permanent side seams between the first and second belts, the side seams of the article are broken to separate the belts. The respective zones (as described in the embodiments of the present invention) are cut out from the respective belt strips (including the central chassis component if it overlaps the respective belt zone) for measurement. All material layers, including the central chassis component (if present), should be retained with the test specimen (i.e., using the cutout region). All cut lines are straight and parallel to the transverse direction of the absorbent article. Each test sample needs to have at least one elastomeric material. The width (dimension in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article) of the respective zone is measured.

The length of the test sample is determined. The length is measured in the transverse direction of the absorbent article from one end of the test sample in a fully stretched state to the other. The sufficiently stretched state is a state in which the test specimen is stretched by a force multiplied by 0.1N/mm of the width of the test specimen. If one or both ends of the test specimen are not parallel to the longitudinal direction, the shortest length within the test specimen is taken as the length of the test specimen.

The adjusted test specimen length is defined as the length of the test specimen minus the combined length of any material in the upper and lower grips. Thus, if the test specimen is mounted in the clamp such that 10mm at each end is fixed in the clamp, the adjusted band length is the measured band length minus 20 mm.

For each test specimen, the initial gauge length of the tensile tester is set to allow the test specimen to be installed in a relaxed state. The load cell is zeroed to offset the sample weight.

The test sample was stretched in the transverse direction of the absorbent article by applying a force of 0.5N to the test sample in a direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the absorbent article. The length of the test sample (corresponding to the transverse dimension of the corresponding zone in the absorbent article) was measured while taking into account the 20mm included between the jaws of the tensile tester.

The shrinkage level was then calculated as follows:

1/2 of (length of test sample at 0.5N X100 of the corresponding zone)/(maximum circumference at 19.6N)

Maximum circumference obtained from full article force measurements

In bag Stack height test

The in-bag stack height of a package of absorbent articles is determined as follows:

Device

A thickness tester with a flat rigid horizontal smoothing plate was used. The thickness tester is configured such that the horizontal slide is free to move in a vertical direction, wherein the horizontal slide is always held in a horizontal orientation directly above a flat rigid horizontal base plate. The thickness tester comprises a device for measuring the gap between the horizontal sliding plate and the horizontal base plate, and the accuracy is within +/-0.5 mm. The horizontal sliding plate and the horizontal base plate are larger than the surface of the absorbent article package contacting each plate, i.e. each plate extends beyond the contact surface of the absorbent article package in all directions. The horizontal slide applies a downward force of 850 + -1 gram-force (8.34N) to the absorbent article package, which may be accomplished by: the appropriate weight was placed on the center of the top surface of the horizontal slide that did not contact the package so that the total mass of the slide plus added weight was 850 + -1 grams.

Test protocol

Prior to the measurement, the absorbent article package was equilibrated at 23 ℃ ± 2 ℃ and 50% ± 5% relative humidity.

The horizontal slide is lifted and a package of absorbent articles is placed centrally under the horizontal slide in such a way that the absorbent articles within the package are in a horizontal orientation (see fig. 8). Any handles or other packaging features on the surface of the package contacting either of the plates are folded flat against the surface of the package in order to minimize their effect on the measurements. The horizontal slide is slowly lowered until it contacts the top surface of the package and is then released. Ten seconds after releasing the horizontal slide plate, the gap between the horizontal plates was measured to within ± 0.5 mm. Five identical packages (same size package and same number of absorbent articles) were measured and the arithmetic average was reported as the package width. The "in-bag stack height" is calculated and reported (package width/absorbent article count per stack) x10 to within ± 0.5 mm.

All documents cited in the detailed description of the invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It should be clear that combinations of the described embodiments and features are possible and can be implemented within the scope of the invention and it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the invention.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm".

Each document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with any disclosure of the invention or the claims herein or that it alone, or in combination with any one or more of the references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.