# US 11,179,277 B2 · Absorbent article

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- Number: US 11,179,277 B2
- Document ID: US11179277B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/095,701
- Filed: 2017-01-13
- Published: 2019-05-16
- Granted: 2021-11-23
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-10
- Assignees: Unicharm Corporation
- Applicants: Unicharm Corporation
- Inventors: Satoru Sakaguchi; Maika Takahashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11179277B2

## CPC

- A61F 13/49011: {the elastic means is located at the waist region}
- A61F 13/15739: {Sealing, e.g. involving cutting}
- A61F 13/49014: {the elastic means is located at the side panels}
- A61F 13/49413: {the edge leakage prevention means being an upstanding barrier}
- A61F 13/5633: {open type diaper}
- A61F 2013/49057: {being stretchable in both longitudinal and transversal direction}
- A61F 2013/49093: {having multiple barriers}
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)

## Abstract

An absorbent article has front and back surface sheets, and an absorbent body disposed within the front surface sheet and back surface sheet laminate. The absorbent article is further provided with a stretchable waist member disposed within the laminate in a manner enabling stretching in the width direction. The stretchable waist member is disposed between the absorbent body and the front surface sheet in the thickness direction and is joined to the front surface sheet. A portion of the stretchable waist member overlaps with and touches the absorbent body in the thickness direction but is not joined thereto, and the portion of the stretchable waist member that does not overlap with the absorbent body in the thickness direction is joined to the back surface sheet.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An absorbent article comprising a front sheet, a back sheet and an absorbent body disposed in a laminate of the front sheet and the back sheet, and having a lengthwise direction, a widthwise direction and a thickness direction,
the absorbent article comprising:
a waist expandable-and-shrinkable member that is expandable and shrinkable in an expansion-and-shrink direction and is disposed between the front sheet and back sheet in the laminate so that the expansion-and-shrink direction is along the widthwise direction;
wherein
the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member is disposed between the absorbent body and the front sheet in the thickness direction, and
the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member includes
a first portion overlapping the absorbent body in the thickness direction, the first portion having a non-skin side surface in contact with but non-bonded to the absorbent body and a skin side surface bonded to the front sheet, and
a second portion not overlapping with the absorbent body in the thickness direction, the second portion having a non-skin side surface bonded to the back sheet and a skin side surface bonded to the front sheet.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein one direction in the lengthwise direction is a frontward direction and the other is a backward direction, and
in the lengthwise direction, an edge of the absorbent body in the backward direction is situated between an edge in the frontward direction and an edge in the backward direction of the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member in the widthwise direction extend toward an outer side with respect to the absorbent body, and
the both ends are bonded to the front sheet and the back sheet.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising:
a pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members that are expandable and shrinkable in the widthwise direction and formed at a perimeter of the laminate, the one and the other of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members being formed at one edge and the other edge, respectively, in the widthwise direction of the laminate,
wherein the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member overlaps with each of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members in the lengthwise direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member and each of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members are disposed apart from each other with respect to the widthwise direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein each of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members comprises fastening tape on the outer side in the widthwise direction, and
the fastening tape overlaps with the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member in the lengthwise direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein in the lengthwise direction, each of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members overlaps with the absorbent body.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein each of the pair of side expandable-and-shrinkable members has higher expansion stress per unit length than the waist expandable-and-shrinkable member.