# US 7,407,557 B2 · Method for producing disposable wearing article

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- Number: US 7,407,557 B2
- Document ID: US7407557B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/538,500
- Filed: 2002-12-18
- Published: 2006-11-02
- Granted: 2008-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2002-12-18
- Assignees: Zuiko Corporation
- Inventors: Takao Wada; Mamoru Itani; Shuhei Kurata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7407557B2

## CPC

- A61F 13/15804: {Plant, e.g. involving several steps}
- A61F 13/15593: {having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons}
- A61F 13/15699: {Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs}
- A61F 13/15723: {Partitioning batts; Cutting}
- A61F 13/49014: {the elastic means is located at the side panels}
- A61F 2013/49028: {with different tensile stress}
- Y10T 156/1049: Folding only
- Y10T 156/1052: with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
- Y10T 156/1057: Subsequent to assembly of laminae
- Y10T 156/1062: Prior to assembly
- Y10T 156/1075: of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
- Y10T 156/1077: Applying plural cut laminae to single face of additional lamina
- 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)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method includes producing an elastic strip material (12) by sandwiching an elastic member (4) between two webs (10, 11) under a stretched state in the longitudinal direction of the webs (10, 11), halving the elastic strip material (12) in the widthwise direction so that protrusions (12a) and recesses (12b) alternately appear, separating a first elastic strip material and a second elastic strip material obtained by halving in the widthwise direction, shifting the phases of the first and second elastic strip materials in the longitudinal direction so that the protrusions and the recesses become in phase, reducing the shrinking force of the elastic member near the protrusions (12a) of the first and second elastic strip materials (12A and 12B), and attaching an absorber (12c) onto parts (12c) of the first and second elastic strip materials (12A) where the shrinking force is reduced.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a disposable wearing article, comprising the steps of:
producing an elastic strip material by sandwiching two elastic members between two webs under a stretched state in a longitudinal direction of the webs in such a way that the elastic members are at positions apart from a widthwise center of the webs;
halving the elastic strip material in a center area between the elastic members so that protrusions and recesses alternately appear to thereby define a first elastic strip and a second elastic strip;
separating the first elastic strip and the second elastic strip from each other in a widthwise direction;
shifting the first elastic strip from the second elastic strip in the longitudinal direction so that the protrusions of the first and second elastic strips come into the same phase to define aligned pairs of protrusions, the protrusions in each of the aligned pairs of protrusions being spaced apart in the widthwise direction;
attaching absorbers onto respective predetermined parts of the first and second elastic strips so that the absorbers lie over the protrusions in each of the pairs of the first and second elastic strips;
wherein after or before the step of halving the elastic strip material, less shrinking force parts are formed on the two elastic members at portions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the first and second elastic strips.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, the method further comprising a step of adhering an elastic member for waist to the elastic strip material under a stretched state.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of folding each absorber to place the first and second elastic strip materials one over the other and sealing the opposite side portions of the first and second elastic strip materials.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein standing flaps are provided at the opposite sides of each absorber.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A method according to claim 4, wherein the standing flaps are so twisted as to be turned inward at the front side of each absorber and to be turned outward at the back side of each absorber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein opposite sides of the absorber are concave, and an elastic member for legs is adhered in the longitudinal direction of the absorber along the opposite sides of each absorber under a stretched state.

### Claim 7

A method for producing a disposable wearing article, comprising:
providing two elongate webs, each of the webs having opposite first and second edges extending along a longitudinal direction of the respective web and a longitudinally extending central region between the first and second edges;
sandwiching first and second elastic members between the two webs so that the elastic members are stretched in the longitudinal direction of the webs, the first elastic members being between the first edges and the longitudinal central regions of the webs and the second elastic members being between the second edges and the longitudinal central regions of the webs, the webs and the elastic members producing an elastic strip material, the elastic members being arranged so that selected areas along the elastic strip material exhibit reduced elastic restoring forces;
forming an undulating cut through the elastic strip material so that the undulating cut alternately approaches and retracts from the edges;
separating the elastic strip material on opposite sides of the undulating cut to define first and second elastic strips, each of said first and second elastic strips having longitudinally spaced protrusions formed by the undulating cut, the protrusions substantially corresponding to the areas of reduced elastic restoring forces;
shifting the first elastic strip longitudinally and laterally so that the protrusions of the first elastic strip align with the protrusions of the second elastic strip while being spaced laterally therefrom; and
attaching absorbers to the first and second elastic strips so that each absorber overlies two of the aligned protrusions on the first and second elastic strips.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A method of claim 7, wherein the step of sandwiching first and second elastic members between the two webs comprises sandwiching first and second waist elastic members between the webs at locations in proximity to the respective first and second sides.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of adhering leg elastic members to each absorber along edges of the absorber extending substantially transverse to the edges of the webs.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the step of sandwiching first and second elastic members between the webs comprises sandwiching a plurality of first elastic members at longitudinally spaced positions and sandwiching a plurality of second elastic members at longitudinally spaced positions, the longitudinally spaced first elastic members being at least partly offset in the longitudinal direction from the plurality of second elastic members.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the step of forming an undulating cut comprises forming the cut so that undulations of the cut approach the respective longitudinally spaced first and second elastic members.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of folding each absorber so that the respective first edges substantially register with the respective second edges of the webs.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising sealing the first and second elastic strips to one another at locations between the protrusions.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising cutting the first and second elastic strips between the protrusions that are longitudinally adjacent to one another.