Disposable diaper

Disposable diapers are a modern convenience which has found wide acceptance since their introduction by the diaper industry. A typical disposable diaper structure includes a layer of liquid-retaining absorbent material sandwiched between a moisture pervious facing layer positioned adjacent the skin of the wearer, and a moisture impervious plastic backing sheet to confine moisture within the absorbent layer. The disposable nature of a disposable diaper has resulted in more freedom to travel by an individual user and those caring for the user. The use of disposable baby diapers for infant care has become increasingly widespread in recent years, with these disposable products providing substantial advantages and convenience over reuseable diapers. Infants wear disposable diapers to receive and contain feces, urine and other fluid discharges from the body. Disposable diapers function both to contain the discharged materials and to isolate these materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer’s surroundings. Disposable diapers are convenient, sanitary and easy to change. Through the use of absorbent materials and elastic portions added around the leg wrapping regions, these diapers provide effective containment of liquid and solid waste. Modern embodiments of disposable diaper frequently perform these tasks in a manner superior to that of traditional cloth diapers.

In general, disposable infant diapers include a vertically long body comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent member interposed therebetween, the body being divided into a stomach portion which, when in wear, is located on the stomach side of its user and a back portion which, when in wear, is located on his back side. The interior portion of the typical baby diaper is generally comprised of a bottom layer of non-woven material that is in direct contact with the area of the baby’s skin covered by the diaper, a backing layer of tissue paper that contacts the bottom portion of the layer of non-woven material, a wadding batt layer of wood pulp that is located between the thin plastic exterior layer and the layer of tissue paper, and, in order to increase the diaper’s fluid absorbency, diaper manufacturers add a superabsorbent polymer or other chemical additive to the wadding batt layer. The top sheet to face the skin of a wearer is made of a material gentle to the skin, such as non-woven fabric or soft porous sheet, both liquid permeable, so that fluids such as urine permeates through the top sheet into the absorbent core. As the absorbent core, additionally, use is made of crushed pulp or a mixture of crushed pulp and super absorbent polymer. The urine absorption capacity of the disposable diaper depends on the volume of the absorbent material.

Known disposable baby diapers include fitted diapers having fastening tapes and pull-on diapers that can be put on like ordinary underwear. Fitted disposable diapers are most commonly used in view of their applicability to a full range of children, from newborns to toddlers, and because of their lower production cost. Fitted disposable diapers are generally designed such that the portion with fastening tapes is placed in the back and the fastening tapes are fastened from the back onto a landing zone on the front portion to hold the diaper on securely. A disposable diaper of this type usually comprises an elongated body including a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent member interposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The elongated body has a stomach-side portion which is located on the stomach side of a diaper wearer when the diaper is worn, and a back-side portion which is located on the back side of the wearer when the diaper is worn. Disposable diapers provided with tape fasteners are usually supplied to consumers in the form of a package in which individual diapers are folded up with the tape fasteners folded back inwardly of the diapers and placed on the inner surfaces of the respective side edges of the diapers. In this manner, the adhesive zones and/or the hook elements of the fasteners can be protected from being contaminated by extraneous substances. Pull-on disposable diapers are on the market for infants who can walk, but disposable diapers suited for babies who have mastered crawling and are now on to pulling themselves up are not available yet. Even after a baby becomes able to pull itself up on something into a standing position, it is practically difficult to make the baby raise one foot to put on a pull-on diaper.

Absorbent articles of disposable diapers function both to contain and to isolate the discharged materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer’s garments and bed clothing. In order to fit the body outline of a baby, the absorbent core is produced by cutting into a sandglass-like form. After cutting, the absorbent core is interposed between the back sheet and the top sheet. The back sheet and the top sheet both are of a shape similar to the shape of the absorbent core but with a larger outline than the absorbent core. Disposable diapers have been provided with separately attached barrier cuffs that inhibit loose fecal material or gushes of urine or liquids from soiling the baby’s clothing. The barrier cuffs restrain the free flow of this material and provide a structure to hold such material within the infant diaper. Typically, the barrier cuffs are formed by attaching an independent web of cuff material to the topsheet web or to the topsheet of a completed chassis.

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July 1, 2008 | Filed Under Baby nursery