Patent ID: 7803448

Claim:
A nonwoven fabric, comprising: a plurality of groove portions recessed on a first face of the nonwoven fabric in a thickness direction, wherein the average basis weight of the groove portions is less than the average basis weight of the entire of the entire nonwoven fabric; wherein the groove portions include: a plurality of open areas arranged in a longitudinal direction and passing through the entire nonwoven fabric in the thickness direction; and a plurality of joining portions each of which is provided between a predetermined open area among the plurality of open areas and another open area adjacent to the predetermined open area in the longitudinal direction, wherein each of the joining portions include: fibers with a greater content oriented in a width direction compared to that oriented in a longitudinal direction, a fiber density greater than that of the plurality of peripheral regions that are formed in the longitudinal direction along the plurality of open areas and the plurality of joining portions, and a ratio of a length in the longitudinal direction to a length in the width direction no greater than 0.7; and a plurality of convex portions that are adjacent to and along the plurality of groove portions and that protrude from the first face of the nonwoven fabric in the thickness direction each of said plurality of convex portions has a greater width than the average basis weight of the plurality of groove portions.