# US 9,433,542 B2 · Absorbent article and production method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,433,542 B2 - Document ID: US9433542B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/002,762 - Filed: 2012-02-27 - Published: 2013-12-26 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-02 - Assignees: Unicharm Corporation - Applicants: Nobuyuki Kato; Tatsuya Tamura; Toshihisa Hayashi; Masashi Kitagawa - Inventors: Nobuyuki Kato; Tatsuya Tamura; Toshihisa Hayashi; Masashi Kitagawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9433542B2 ## CPC - A61F 13/537: characterised by a layer facilitating or inhibiting flow in one direction or plane, e.g. a wicking layer {(A61F13/538 takes precedence)} - A61F 13/15617: {Making absorbent pads from fibres or pulverulent material with or without treatment of the fibres} - A61F 13/15731: {Treating webs, e.g. for giving them a fibrelike appearance, e.g. by embossing} - A61F 13/4704: {having preferential bending zones, e.g. fold lines or grooves} - A61F 13/4756: {the means consisting of grooves, e.g. channels, depressions or embossments, resulting in a heterogeneous surface level} - A61F 13/535: inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad, e.g. core absorbent layers being of different sizes ({A61F13/5323,} A61F13/537 take precedence) - A61F 13/539: characterised by the connection of the absorbent layers with each other or with the outer layers - Y10T 156/1041: Subsequent to lamination - 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 The absorbent article of the present invention comprises: a liquid-pervious surface sheet, a liquid-impervious backside sheet provided at the position opposing said surface sheet, and an absorption body provided between said surface sheet and said backside sheet, wherein the absorbent article comprises an endless compressed groove, surrounding a central part of said absorbent article, which is formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and a plurality of concave parts, provided inside and outside said compressed groove, which are formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and an uncompressed region bordering inner and outer edges of the compressed groove, wherein the closest distance between said compressed groove and the nearest concave parts is greater than the distance between adjacent ones of those same concave parts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An absorbent article, comprising: a liquid-pervious surface sheet, a liquid-impervious backside sheet opposing said surface sheet in a thickness direction of the absorbent article, an absorption body provided between said surface sheet and said backside sheet, an endless compressed groove surrounding a central part of said absorbent article and formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, a plurality of concave parts provided in the central part and outside the central part of the absorbent article, said plurality of concave parts being formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and an uncompressed region bordering inner and outer edges of the compressed groove, wherein a closest distance between said compressed groove and a nearest concave part is greater than a distance between closest adjacent concave parts among the plurality of concave parts. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closest distance between said compressed groove and the nearest concave parts in the central part of said absorbent article is greater than the distance between closest adjacent concave parts among the concave parts in the central part of the absorbent article. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closest distance between said compressed groove and the nearest concave parts outside the central part of the absorbent article is greater than the distance between closest adjacent concave parts among the concave parts outside the central part of the absorbent article. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said groove is circular or oval in shape. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said absorption body includes a comminuted pulp layer and an air-laid layer formed of fibers joined together with a binder, said comminuted pulp layer is provided on a skin-facing side of said absorption body, said air-laid layer is provided on a non-skin-facing side of said absorption body, an area of the air-laid layer is greater than an area of the comminuted pulp layer, and the comminuted pulp layer overlies the air-laid layer so that the air-laid layer encompasses the comminuted pulp layer in a plane of the absorption body, and a longitudinal end part of said comminuted pulp layer is present on an outer side of said uncompressed region bordering the outer edge of the said compressed groove. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1 having an elongated shape with a greater longitudinal length than transverse width, wherein a width of the uncompressed region towards a transverse side of said absorbent article is greater than a width of the same uncompressed region towards a longitudinal end of said absorbent article. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of the uncompressed region bordering the outer edge of said compressed groove is larger than a width of the uncompressed region bordering the inner edge of said compressed groove. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compressed groove is a first compressed groove, the absorbent article further comprises a second compressed groove surrounding the central part of said absorbent article, and compressed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and said second compressed groove is provided on an outer side of said first compressed groove, said plurality of concave parts are also disposed between said first compressed groove and said second compressed groove, and said uncompressed region includes uncompressed regions present between said first compressed groove and said second compressed groove. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 8, wherein said concave parts are not provided between said first compressed groove and said second compressed groove on transverse sides of said absorbent article. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: a crotch zone configured to be applied to a crotch region of a wearer, and a rear waist zone configured to cover a rear side region of the wearer relative to the crotch part of the wearer, wherein said second compressed groove is provided from the crotch zone to the rear waist zone, said plurality of concave parts in the central part of the absorbent article is provided in said crotch zone and said rear waist zone, and a number per unit area of said concave parts provided in said crotch zone is larger than a number per unit area of said concave parts provided in said rear waist zone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 8, wherein a closest distance between the first and second compressed grooves is larger than a distance between closest adjacent concave parts among the concave parts that are present outside the central part of the absorbent article. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 8, wherein a density of the absorption body in the uncompressed region is ¼or less of a density of the absorption body in the first compressed groove, the second compressed groove, or the concave parts. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 8, wherein a thickness of the absorption body in the uncompressed region is 4 times or more of the thickness of the absorption body in the first compressed groove, the second compressed groove, or the concave parts. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central part is configured to be arranged in a crotch region of a wearer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1 in a form of a sanitary napkin, pantiliner, incontinence pad or incontinence liner, having a maximum thickness of 4 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compressed groove is a first compressed groove, the absorbent article further comprises: a second compressed groove defining a continuous or discontinuous loop surrounding the central part of said absorbent article and compressed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and the second compressed groove is provided on an outer side of said first compressed groove, said concave parts are also disposed between said first compressed groove and said second compressed groove, and the uncompressed region includes uncompressed regions present between said first compressed groove and said second compressed groove. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein in a plan view, a size of the concave parts in the central part of the absorbent article is larger than a size of the concave parts outside the central part of the absorbent article. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein a number of concave parts per unit area in the central part of the absorbent article is smaller than a number of concave parts per unit area outside the central part of the absorbent article. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said absorption body includes a comminuted pulp layer and an air-laid layer formed of fibers joined together with a binder, said comminuted pulp layer is provided on a skin-facing side of said absorption body, said air-laid layer is provided on a non-skin-facing side of said absorption body, said compressed groove is a first compressed groove, the absorbent article further comprises a second compressed groove surrounding the central part of said absorbent article, and compressed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and said second compressed groove is provided on an outer side of said first compressed groove, and a longitudinal end part of said comminuted pulp layer is present on the outer side of said uncompressed region bordering the outer edge of the said second compressed groove. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compressed groove is a first compressed groove, the absorbent article further comprising a second compressed groove surrounding the central part of said absorbent article and compressed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and said second compressed groove is provided on an outer side of said first compressed groove, the uncompressed region also borders inner and outer edges of the second compressed groove. ### Claim 21 An absorbent article, comprising: a liquid-pervious surface sheet, a liquid-impervious backside sheet opposing said surface sheet in a thickness direction of the absorbent article, an absorption body provided between said surface sheet and said backside sheet, a compressed groove defining a loop surrounding a central part of said absorbent article, and compressed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and a plurality of concave parts pin embossed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and an uncompressed region present in the central part and outside the central part of the absorbent article and along said compressed groove, and wherein a closest distance between said compressed groove and said concave parts is larger than a distance between closest adjacent concave parts among said concave parts. ### Claim 22 A method of producing an absorbent article including a liquid-pervious surface sheet, a liquid-impervious backside sheet opposing said surface sheet in a thickness direction of the absorbent article, an absorption body provided between said surface sheet and said backside sheet, an endless compressed groove surrounding a central part of said absorbent article and formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, a plurality of concave parts provided in the central part and outside the central part of the absorbent article, said plurality of concave parts being formed in said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction, and an uncompressed region bordering inner and outer edges of the compressed groove, wherein a closest distance between said compressed groove and a nearest concave part is greater than a distance between closest adjacent concave parts among the plurality of concave parts, said method comprising: producing the absorption body, covering said absorption body with the surface sheet, and passing said absorption body covered with said surface sheet between (i) a first roller equipped with a convex part for forming a compressed groove and pins for pin embossing and (ii) a second roller to form the compressed groove resulting from compression of said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction with said convex part, and the plurality of concave parts resulting from compression of said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction by pin embossing with said pins. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein a protrusion is provided at a distal end of each pin and forms a high compression area in the concave part corresponding to said pin. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein a plurality of protrusions is provided on the second roller and forms a plurality of compressed parts provided at positions opposing the plurality of concave parts on a non-skin-facing side of the absorption body. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) A method of producing the absorbent article of claim 1, comprising: producing the absorption body, covering said absorption body with the surface sheet, and passing said absorption body covered with said surface sheet between (i) an upper roller equipped with a convex part for forming a compressed groove and pins for pin embossing and (ii) a lower roller located to face said upper roller to form the compressed groove resulting from compression of said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction and the plurality of concave parts resulting from compression of said surface sheet and said absorption body in the thickness direction by pin embossing.