Patent ID: 8361047
Filing Date: 2013-01-29
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. An absorbent article having a width and a length orthogonal to the width, comprising: a chassis having at least a front torso surrounding region and a rear torso surrounding region arranged along a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article; a crotch region provided between the front torso surrounding region and the tear torso surrounding region of the chassis; an oblong absorbent body extending from the front torso surrounding region to the rear torso surrounding region along the longitudinal direction, the absorbent body comprising an absorbent core covered with a cover sheet; a pair of stretchable sheets arranged at both side edges of outer sides in the width direction of the cover sheet and extending in the longitudinal direction, an outer edge of each of the stretchable sheets being formed to have an arch portion that recesses toward a center line of the absorbent body at a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the stretchable sheets; a torso opening section formed at one side when in a wearing mode; a pair of leg openings formed at another side when in the wearing mode; a skin-contacting face facing an inner face when in the wearing mode; a not-skin-contacting face facing an outer face when in the wearing mode; and an elastic member arranged along a side edge extending in the longitudinal direction of the crotch region constituting the leg opening, wherein the absorbent core includes: a first narrow width section; a second narrow width section arranged longitudinally spaced from the first narrow width section; a center low rigidity section formed along a center line that halves the absorbent article in the width direction; and a pair of lateral low rigidity sections provided at both sides of the center low rigidity section in the width direction with a substantially equal interval; wherein the crotch region is structured so that the skin-contacting face of the absorbent body has a skin contacting face-side sheet and the not-skin-contacting face has either one of a not-skin contacting face-side sheet and the chassis, and wherein a portion of the stretchable sheet that has a narrowest width at the arch portion extends over outer side edge of the cover sheet, and the skin contacting face-side sheet has, while in a stretched state, a lower initial tensile strength in the width direction than that of the not-skin contacting face-side sheet or the chassis so that the skin contacting face-side sheet is more easily stretchable in the width direction than the not-skin contacting face-side sheet or the chassis.