Patent ID: 8231592
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A disposable diaper having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction which is orthogonal to said longitudinal direction, said diaper comprising: a front waist region; a rear waist region; a crotch region extending in said longitudinal direction between said front and rear waist regions; a body fluid absorbent panel at least partially wrapped with a liquid-pervious sheet and extending over said crotch region and into said front waist region and said rear waist region, said liquid-pervious sheet being directly contactable with a wearer's body, in use; a barrier in at least one of (a) said crotch region, (b) said front waist region and (c) said rear waist region, said barrier extending in said transverse direction so as to stand, in use, in the way of body fluid flowing on said liquid-pervious sheet in said longitudinal direction; said barrier being formed from a tufted assembly comprising a plurality of nonwoven fabric strips each having a width and a length orthogonal to each other, wherein said plurality of strips are arranged side by side with respective said widths being in alignment in said transverse direction so that said strips successively overlap one another along respective said lengths as viewed in a thickness direction of said diaper, and wherein each of said strips has, as viewed in said longitudinal direction of said diaper, opposite front and rear end portions which are free of direct attachment to said liquid-pervious sheet and to other strips, and a middle portion which extends between said front and rear end portions and is directly fixed to at least one of (i) said liquid-pervious sheet and (ii) the middle portion of at least one overlying or underlying strip; said end portions projecting away from the liquid-pervious sheet in the thickness direction of the diaper, and being elastically deformable by the wearer's body, in use, to ensure direct close contact between some of said end portions and the wearer's body, in use; wherein said barrier comprises a rear barrier defined by the rear end portions of said strips, which extend from said middle portions toward said rear waist region, and a front barrier defined by the front end portions of said strips, which extend from said middle portions toward said front waist region; wherein the front end portions of said overlapping strips are arranged in several layers, as seen in the thickness direction of the diaper, on top of the liquid-pervious sheet, and project at various angles and heights away from the respective middle portions toward the front waist region to define the front barrier which is continuous in the transverse direction over a full width of said absorbent panel and which has a substantial constant height, in the thickness direction, throughout its length in the transverse direction; the rear end portions of said overlapping strips are arranged in several layers, as seen in the thickness direction of the diaper, on top of the liquid-pervious sheet, and project at various angles and heights away from the respective middle portions toward the rear waist region to define the rear barrier which is continuous in the transverse direction over the full width of said absorbent panel and which has a substantial constant height, in the thickness direction, throughout its length in the transverse direction; and the height of the front barrier when the diaper is not in use is lower than that of the rear barrier.