Disposable diaper

Details Disposable diaper Disposable diaper

2000-07-31

2002-04-23

Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

C604S389000, C604S386000, C604S387000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06375647

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable diaper, which is disposed after use.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional disposable diaper, a spread out type disposable diaper is designed with a hip portion to cover a wearer's hip and a belly portion to cover the wearer's belly. In this spread out type disposable diaper, the hip portion and the belly portion are spread apart and they are composed attachably/detachably. The spread out type disposable diaper comprises a sheet-shaped diaper body, which encloses an absorbent polymer or the like therein. When the wearer uses this diaper, the sheet-shaped diaper body is formed as a stereoscopic shape so that the diaper obtains a pants-like shape. In the spread out type disposable diaper, the diaper body is composed of the hip portion, a crotch portion and the belly portion provided integrally and continuously. At the both sides of the hip portion, adhesive tapes are disposed to extend to the outside. The adhesive tapes are held in tentative attaching portions made of a film or the like, which are provided on the hip portion before assembling the diaper. When the diaper is put on, the adhesive tapes are secured to the belly portion.
As for conventional disposable diapers, a pants-shaped diaper has been used. This pants-shaped disposable diaper is designed such that the wearer can put it on, as the wearer is standing. The wearer inserts his legs into leg-through holes from the inside to the outside of the diaper for each leg and the diaper can be pulled up to the wearer's waist, as if the wearer puts a pants on.
The conventional spread out type disposable diaper, which is provided with a hook shaped connecting member, is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2525779. This disposable diaper is provided with a first fastener member with a plate shape inside of both sides of a hip portion. This first fastener member is folded back toward the inside of the hip portion. Further, being opposed to the first fastener member at the both sides of an outside of a belly portion, a second fastener member of a plate shape is provided. This second fastener member is folded back toward the front side of the belly portion. In the first fastener member and the second fastener member, the respective folded portions extend away from a disposable diaper body, the respective medium portions curve toward the surface of the disposable diaper body and the respective front portions are folded away from the disposable diaper body. As a result, the first fastener member and the second fastener member become substantially in the shape of the letter S. In this conventional disposable diaper, the both sides of the hip portion and the belly portion are sufficiently overlapped to engage the first fastener member and the second fastener member, so that the disposable diaper body is formed in a stereoscopic shape.
In the foregoing conventional arts, the spread-out type disposable diaper can not worn while the wearer is standing. The wearer has to be laid to put the diaper on, which is laborious and also requires a space enough to lay the wearer down. Therefore, it is quite inconvenient at the time of going outside. The pants-shaped disposable diaper is designed such that the wearer can put it on, as the wearer is standing. However, the wearer inserts his legs into leg-through holes from the inside to the outside of the diaper, so it is difficult to put it on with shoes on.
On the other hand, according to the disposable diaper disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2525779, when the first fastener number and the second fastener member are engaged, it is necessary to engage the both sides of the hip portion and the belly portion after pulling them up sufficiently till the first fastener member pass over the second fastener member. Therefore, force is needed and it gives a feeling of pressing to the wearer. Further, it is hard to attach the fastener members and to put on.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a disposable diaper, which is easy for the wearer to put on and is possible to be put on easily when the wearer is standing on both feet.
The present invention provides a disposable diaper including a diaper body having a hip portion and a belly portion, which are spread out with a crotch portion between them, and engaging means, which are arranged to be engaged/disengaged with each other, on both side portions of the hip portion and both side portions of the belly portion. The engaging means includes a plurality of hook elements having rising portions provided on one surface at both ends portions of the hip portion and on the other surface at both end portions of the belly portion and engaging portions bending and extending at distal ends of the rising portions. At least one of the hook elements is sandwiched between opposed hook elements and the opposed engaging faces come into contact with each other, so that the hook elements are engaged each other.
Preferably, the hook elements are elongated substantially perpendicular to the direction around a waist of a wearer and have a regular cross-section substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the engaging faces of the hook elements are formed at least on the opposite side with respect to the end edges of the both side portions.
Further preferably, at least one group of the hook elements are provided with stopper portions formed by deforming the hook elements at the both end portions of the longitudinal direction of the hook elements.
According to the disposal diaper of the present invention, both side portions of the hip portion and both side portions of the belly portion are positioned at the outside of the wearer's legs so that the one group of the hook elements are pressed into other group of the hook elements. And the hook elements are elastically deformed each other, so that the one group of the hook elements are sandwiched between the other group of the hook pieces. At this time, the engaging faces defined on each group of the hook elements come into contact with each other to be fastened. Thus, in the disposable diaper of the present invention, the pair of leg-through holes are made with the wearer's legs inserted into the leg-through holes. Therefore, the disposable diaper of the present invention can be formed in a stereoscopic shape for use. With the wearer's his legs inserted into the holes, it is possible to pull up the disposable diaper to the wearer's waist.


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