초록 ▼

An absorbent article, such as a diaper, pant diaper, incontinence garment, incontinence insert, bed protecting sheet or the like intended to absorb and retain body exudates which may include low viscosity fecal materials. The article has an absorbent core (5) and a cover enclosing the absorbent core

An absorbent article, such as a diaper, pant diaper, incontinence garment, incontinence insert, bed protecting sheet or the like intended to absorb and retain body exudates which may include low viscosity fecal materials. The article has an absorbent core (5) and a cover enclosing the absorbent core, the cover having a liquid pervious inner cover (6) on the body facing side of the absorbent core and a liquid impervious cover (7) on the garment facing side of the absorbent core, wherein the inner cover (6) in at least a fecal receiving area has parts of the rear and crotch portions (3, 4) of the article has a three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material (12) having on the body facing surface a plurality of alternating recessed (13) and elevated portions (14), wherein the recessed as well as the elevated portions are hydrophilic.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An absorbent article comprising: an absorbent core and a cover enclosing the absorbent core, the absorbent core including opposed longitudinal edges extending in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,said cover comprising a liquid pervious inner cover on the body facing side of the ab

1. An absorbent article comprising: an absorbent core and a cover enclosing the absorbent core, the absorbent core including opposed longitudinal edges extending in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article,said cover comprising a liquid pervious inner cover on the body facing side of the absorbent core and a liquid impervious outer cover on the garment facing side of the absorbent core, said article having in the longitudinal direction a front portion, a rear portion and a crotch portion therebetween, the inner cover, in at least a fecal receiving area, comprises parts of the rear and crotch portions of the article, and the inner cover comprises a nonwoven three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material having on the body facing surface a plurality of alternating recessed and elevated portions,wherein the recessed as well as the elevated portions are hydrophilic and said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material defines the body facing surface of the inner cover in at least parts of the rear portion and crotch portion of the article that is covered by the absorbent core,the liquid pervious inner cover comprises first and second liners, said first liner at least partially covers a front region of the body facing surface of said inner cover, and said second liner overlaps the first liner and at least partially covers a rear region of the body facing surface of said first liner in the rear region only in an area of the rear region that overlaps the absorbent core, and extends to longitudinal edges of the absorbent core at least in the crotch portion without crossing the longitudinal edges in the crotch portion,said second liner comprises a continuous sheet of said nonwoven three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material and covers a smaller area of the absorbent core than the first liner as viewed in plan view of the article in a flat, uncontracted state of the article, andapertures are provided in the recessed portions of the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material, each aperture extending continuously from the body facing surface of the second liner to the first liner. 2. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein hydrophilic fibers protrude from the elevated portions of said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material. 3. An absorbent article as claimed in claim 2, wherein hydrophilic fibers protrude from the recessed portions of said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material. 4. An absorbent article as claimed in claim 2, wherein hydrophilic fibers protrude from the entire surface area of said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material. 5. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of the elevated portions, defined as the distance between the bottom of the recessed portions and the tops of the elevated portions, is at least 0.5 mm. 6. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 5, wherein the distance between the elevated portions, defined as the shortest distance between the highest height of adjacent elevated portions, is at least 5 mm. 7. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 6, wherein the distance between the elevated portions, defined as the shortest distance between the highest height of adjacent elevated portions, is at least 10 mm. 8. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 6, wherein the distance between the elevated portions, defined as the shortest distance between the highest height of adjacent elevated portions, is at least 15 mm. 9. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 6, wherein the distance between elevated portions is greater than or equal to twice the height of the elevated portions. 10. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of the elevated portions, defined as the distance between the bottom of the recessed portions and the tops of the elevated portions, is 0.5 to 20 mm. 11. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of the elevated portions, defined as the distance between the bottom of the recessed portions and the tops of the elevated portions, is 1 to 10 mm. 12. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material is absent in the front portion of the article. 13. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein a material layer underlying the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material is more hydrophilic and/or has a smaller mean pore size than said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic web material, so that a surface energy gradient and/or a pore size gradient is created, striving to draw aqueous fluid through the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic web material to the underlying material layer. 14. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 13, wherein said underlying material layer is a portion of the absorbent core, a portion of the first liner or another web material. 15. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said article is a diaper, a pant diaper, an incontinence garment, an incontinence insert or a bed protection sheet. 16. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevated portions are in the form of annular concentric ridges and the recessed portions are valleys between the ridges. 17. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevated portions are in the form of ridges arranged in a spiral pattern, and the recessed portions are valleys between the ridges. 18. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein hydrophilic fibers protrude from the top surface of said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material. 19. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevated portions are in the form of bosses protruding from the surface forming the recessed portions. 20. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorbent core has a substantially uniform thickness. 21. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the garment facing surface of the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material is planar across the center of the absorbent core. 22. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first liner covers the entire article and the second liner overlies the first liner on the body facing surface of the inner cover in at least part of the rear portion and the crotch portion. 23. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;wherein the elevated portions are staggered relative to each other, such that each of at least some of the elevated portions are offset with respect to a closest adjacent elevated portion in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the absorbent article. 24. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the minimum effective pore size of each of the apertures is 5 mm2. 25. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the minimum effective pore size of each of the apertures is 10 mm2. 26. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein apertures are not provided in the elevated portions of the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material. 27. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second liner includes a planar section between the elevated portions, the elevated portions protruding upwardly from the planar section in a direction away from the body facing side of the absorbent core. 28. An absorbent article comprising: an absorbent core and a cover enclosing the absorbent core,said cover comprising a liquid pervious inner cover on the body facing side of the absorbent core and a liquid impervious outer cover on the garment facing side of the absorbent core, said article having in a longitudinal direction a front portion, a rear portion and a crotch portion therebetween, the inner cover, in at least a fecal receiving area, comprises parts of the rear and crotch portions of the article, and the inner cover comprises a three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material having on the body facing surface a plurality of alternating recessed and elevated portions, wherein the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material is absent in the front portion and in at least a part of the crotch portion of the article in an area over a longitudinal centerline of the article,wherein the recessed as well as the elevated portions are hydrophilic and said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material defines the body facing surface of the inner cover in at least parts of the rear portion and crotch portion of the article that is covered by the absorbent core,the liquid pervious inner cover comprises first and second liners, said first liner at least partially covers a front region of the body facing surface of said inner cover, and said second liner overlaps the first liner and at least partially covers a rear region of the body facing surface of said inner cover,said second liner comprises said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material and covers a smaller area of the absorbent core than the first liner as viewed in plan view of the article in a flat, uncontracted state of the article, andat least a portion of the second liner comprises hydrophilic fibers each having one free end protruding from a body facing surface of the second liner, and an opposing end fixed to the second liner. 29. An absorbent article comprising: an absorbent core and a cover enclosing the absorbent core,said cover comprising a liquid pervious inner cover on the body facing side of the absorbent core and a liquid impervious outer cover on the garment facing side of the absorbent core, said article having a front portion, a rear portion and a crotch portion therebetween, the inner cover, in at least a fecal receiving area, comprises parts of the rear and crotch portions of the article, and the inner cover comprises a nonwoven three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material having on the body facing surface a plurality of alternating recessed and elevated portions,wherein the recessed as well as the elevated portions are hydrophilic and said three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material defines the body facing surface of the inner cover in at least parts of the rear portion and crotch portion of the article that is covered by the absorbent core,the liquid pervious inner cover comprises first and second liners, said second liner overlaps the first liner in the rear portion only in an area of the rear portion that is covered by the absorbent core, and comprises a continuous sheet of said nonwoven three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material,said second liner includes a planar section between the elevated portions, the elevated portions protruding upwardly from the planar section in a direction away from the body facing side of the absorbent core, andapertures are provided in the recessed portions of the three-dimensionally structured hydrophilic fibrous web material, wherein the minimum effective pore size of each of the apertures is 5 mm2. 30. The absorbent article as claimed in claim 29, wherein the effective pore size of each of the apertures is 10 mm2.