Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Utility Patent
1999-06-10
2001-01-02
Ruhl, Dennis (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S387000, C604S389000, C206S438000
Utility Patent
active
06168582
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to an absorbent article individually packaged by a wrapper comprising a main wrapper sheet for the absorbent article and a flap fastener cover for flap fasteners of flaps. More particularly, this invention relates to an absorbent article comprising a pair of first flaps and a pair of second flaps apart from the first flaps in the longitudinal direction, wherein each flap is covered by a main wrapper sheet or a flap fastener cover.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin comprising a pair of flaps which extend laterally outward from an absorbent means is well known. One type of such an absorbent article comprises a pair of flaps which extend laterally outward from a central region of both longitudinal side edges of an absorbent means. The flaps are intended to be folded around the edges of a wearer's undergarment in the crotch region. Thus, in use the flaps are disposed between the edges of the wearer's undergarment in the crotch region and the wearer's thighs. Commonly, the flaps are provided with flap fasteners such as adhesive for affixing the flaps to the underside of the wearer's undergarment. The flaps serve at least two purposes. First, the flaps prevent exudates which otherwise would soil the edges of the weaer's undergarment from doing such. Second, the flaps help stabilize the napkin from shifting out of the position chosen by the wearer. This is especially so when the flaps are affixed to the underside of the undergarment.
The flaps of such sanitary napkins may be folded onto the topsheet side or the backsheet side to conserve space during packaging, i.e., the period between manufacture of the sanitary napkin and its intended first use by the wearer. At the time of the first use by the wearer, the flaps are usually unfolded to facilitate installation of the sanitary napkin into the wearer's undergarment. The flap fasteners of the folded flaps are usually covered by a flap fastener cover so as not to inadvertently adhere to each other or another part of the product before the sanitary napkin is used. When the flaps are folded onto the topsheet side, the flap fasteners of the flaps face outside and are covered by the flap fastener cover thereby bridging the flaps to each other over the topsheet. Japanese Laid-open Patent publication H5-293139 published on Nov. 9, 1993, Japanese Laid-open Patent publication H6-78953 published on Mar. 22,1994 and Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model publication H6-26835 published on Apr. 12, 1994 disclose sanitary napkins having flaps which are folded onto the topsheet and flap fasteners which are covered by a flap fastener cover. The sanitary napkins disclosed therein further comprise a main fastener for securing the sanitary napkin to the inside of the wearer's undergarment. The main fastener is also covered by a main fastener cover. Therefore, when the sanitary napkin is used, the wearer must remove both the flap fastener cover and the main fastener cover. The wearer must then properly dispose of the various fastener covers to prevent them from becoming litter.
Attempts to facilitate removal of a flap fastener cover and a main fastener cover from the sanitary napkin have been made. Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model publication H5-9526 published on Feb. 9, 1993 and Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model publication H5-9529 published on Feb. 9, 1993 disclose sanitary napkins comprising a sanitary napkin main body with a main body fastener, flaps with flap fasteners and a fastener cover for covering the flap fasteners and the main fastener. The fastener cover comprises flap fastener cover portions and a main fastener cover portion which are connected to each other. Therefore, as the main fastener cover portions are removed from the sanitary napkin main body, the flap fastener cover portion is also removed from the flaps. This publication, however, does not disclose arrangements for absorbent articles having a wrapper for individually packaging the absorbent article.
Other attempts to facilitate removal of a flap fastener cover and/or a main fastener cover from a sanitary napkin main body have been made in connection with removal of a wrapper for individually packaging the sanitary napkin. Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model publication H6-26833 published on Apr. 12, 1994 discloses a sanitary napkin comprising a sanitary napkin main body with a main fastener, flaps with flap fasteners, a wrapper for packaging the sanitary napkin main body, a flap fastener cover and a main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is connected to a part of the wrapper so that the main fastener cover is removed from the main body as the sanitary napkin main body is taken out from the wrapper. However, the flap fastener cover also must be removed from the flaps.
Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model H7-39820 published on Jul. 18, 1995 discloses a sanitary napkin comprising a sanitary napkin main body having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core. The sanitary napkin also comprises a pair of flaps which are folded around the edges of a wearer's undergarment in the crotch region when the sanitary napkin is used. Adhesive layers provided with the main body and the flaps are covered by an adhesive layer cover which may comprise a wrapper for individually packaging the sanitary napkin. The flaps are folded to the inside of the main body. The adhesive layer cover covering the adhesive layers of the main body extends beyond the longitudinal sides and transverse edges of the main body. The adhesive layer cover extends beyond one transverse end and the extending portion of the adhesive layer cover is folded toward the inside to cover the adhesive layers of the flaps. Japanese Laid-open Utility-Model H6-75446 published on Jul. 18, 1995 discloses a sanitary napkin comprising a sanitary napkin main body and a pair of flaps extending laterally outward from the both sides in the longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin. The flaps are folded onto a body facing side of the sanitary napkin before the sanitary napkin is used, and are folded around the edges of a wearer's undergarment in the crotch region when the sanitary napkin is used. A garment facing side of the sanitary napkin provided with an adhesive layer is wrapped by a wrapper releasably treated. The wrapped sanitary napkin is folded together with the wrapper about a folding line. This publication further discloses a packaging structure for the sanitary napkin where a part of the wrapper covers the adhesive layers of the flaps. Namely, the transverse edge of the wrapper extends beyond the end edge of the sanitary napkin and is folded towards the adhesive layers of the flaps which are folded onto the topsheet. These publications, however, do not disclose arrangements for absorbent articles having another pair of flaps apart from the flaps in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article.
Another type of an absorbent article comprises a pair of flaps which extend laterally outward from a back region of both longitudinal side edges of an absorbent means. The flaps of the second type of an absorbent article are intended to stay widespread in a back region of the inside of a wearer's undergarment. In use, the flaps are disposed between the wearer's hips and the wearer's undergarment. The flaps of the second type of an absorbent article also prevent exudates which otherwise would soil the back region of the wearer's undergarment. The flaps may be provided with flap fasteners such as adhesive for affixing the flaps to the inside of the wearer's undergarment to stabilize the napkin shifting in the back region of the wearer's undergarment. The flap fasteners may be covered by a flap fastener cover not to inadvertently adhere to each other or another part of the product before the sanitary napkin is used. Japanese Laid-open Patent publication H8-224269 published on Sep. 3, 1996 discloses an individually packaged sanitary napkin. The sanitary napkin comprises a topsheet, a backs
Fitzpatrick Matthew P.
Ruhl Dennis
The Procter & Gamble & Company
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