Disposable diaper

Details Disposable diaper Disposable diaper

1996-07-25

2001-02-06

Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

C604S385280

Reexamination Certificate

active

06183459

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disposable diaper.
Disposable diapers are well known, in which a pair of cuffs longitudinally extend on the inner surface of the diaper along transversely opposite sides thereof and across front and rear sections as well as a crotch section. The pair of cuffs normally tend to rise above said inner surface to prevent body fluids from leaking laterally from the diaper.
FIG. 4
in the attached drawings is a plan view showing such a known disposable diaper as partially broken away. The diaper
100
has a basic body
105
comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet
102
, a liquid-impermeable backsheet
103
and a liquid-absorbent core
104
sandwiched between these two sheets
102
,
103
so as to form a front section
106
, a rear section
107
and a crotch section
108
interposed between these two sections
106
,
107
longitudinally of the diaper
100
. A pair of water-repellent or liquid-impermeable cuffs
110
extend longitudinally along transversely opposite sides of the basic body
105
across the front and rear sections
106
,
107
as well as the crotch section
108
so that these cuffs
110
may bear against the wearer's crotch as the diaper
100
is worn. Additionally, the basic body
105
is provided with elastic members (first elastic members)
116
extending along transversely opposite side edges thereof and bonded in their stretched states to the inner surface of the backsheet
103
for fitness around the respective legs of the wearer. A pair of tape fasteners
113
outwardly extend from transversely opposite side edges of the rear section
107
. Each of the cuffs
110
comprises a rectangular strip of sheet having a width W. The cuff
110
has an inner side edge
115
which is a free edge and to which an elastic member (second elastic member)
114
is bonded in its longitudinally stretched state, and an outer side edge
117
extending parallel to the inner side edge
115
. The outer side edge
117
and longitudinally opposite ends
118
of the cuff
110
are bonded, as indicated by oblique lines
120
, to the inner surface of the diaper's basic body
105
. When such diaper
100
is worn, the cuff
110
is biased under the contraction of the second elastic member
114
to rise above the topsheet
102
and to form together with the topsheet
102
a pocket (not shown) opening inwardly of the diaper
100
. The cuff
110
forms a barrier of the height W against excretion as the cuff
110
rises substantially in the vertical direction in the crotch section
108
. Such diaper
100
is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,278.
When worn, the diaper may slip down and cause a gap to be formed between the diaper and the wearer's crotch, possibly leading to excretion leakage. It is possible to avoid such excretion leakage if the cuffs form sufficiently high barriers when they rise. To achieve this with the above-mentioned known diaper
100
, the width W may be dimensioned to be correspondingly large. However, such dimensioning would inevitably result in the longitudinally opposite ends
118
of the cuffs
110
bonded to the inner surface of the diaper
100
along the waist line becoming so bulky such that comfort deteriorates and, in the proximity of the waist line, the relatively wide cuffs
110
disadvantageously cover the topsheet
102
even when the cuffs
110
properly stand up in the crotch section
108
. Consequently, the effective area of the topsheet
102
for liquid permeation is unacceptably reduced and thus desired rapid liquid permeation becomes difficult.
A accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing substantially crescent-shaped cuffs made of a elastic sheets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object set forth above is achieved, according to the invention, by a disposable diaper comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core sandwiched between these two sheets so as to form a front section, a rear section and a crotch section longitudinally interposed between these two sections, a pair of elasticized leg surrounding side flaps extending outwardly of transversely opposite sides of said core and a pair of elasticized cuffs longitudinally extending on the inner surface of said diaper along transversely opposite sides thereof across the front and rear sections as well as the crotch section and normally tending to rise on said inner surface, wherein each of said cuffs comprise a substantially crescent-shaped elastic sheet, bonded in its longitudinally stretched state to said inner surface at longitudinally opposite ends and along an arc-shaped outer edge of said cuff.
With the disposable diaper arranged as described above, there is no apprehension that the diaper might become bulky around the waist line even when the cuffs are dimensioned to be relatively large, since the cuffs are shaped in crescents, respectively, each having the width progressively reduced toward its longitudinally opposite ends.


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patent: 4695278 (1987-09-01), Lawson
patent: 4704116 (1987-11-01), Enloe
patent: 4738677 (1988-04-01), Foreman
patent: 4846825 (1989-07-01), Enloe et al.
patent: 4904251 (1990-02-01), Igaue et al.
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patent: 93/03744 (1993-04-01), None
patent: 9410951 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 95/08972 (1995-04-01), None

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