U.S. patent application number 11/075399 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-08 for panty.
This patent application is currently assigned to Uni-Charm Corporation. Invention is credited to Fujikawa, Shinobu, Kondo, Hideki, Suga, Ayami.
Application Number | 20050197643 11/075399 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34913879 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050197643 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Suga, Ayami ; et
al. |
September 8, 2005 |
Panty
Abstract
The invention provides a panty realizing easy fit of a sanitary
napkin for night use to a crotch portion, preventing the napkin
from shifting out of position, alleviating digging into the crotch
portion, and thus being comfortable to wear without giving feeling
of constriction to the wearer. The panty includes a front part, a
back part, a crotch part provided so as to bridge between the front
part and the back part, a slightly elastic member is provided at
the substantially center area of the back part, a highly elastic
member is provided from a back parts lifting member to the entire
area of the front part except for the waist hold part, a fixing
member is provided on the substantially center area of the front
part, a crotch lifting member is provided at the substantially
center area of the crotch part.
Inventors: |
Suga, Ayami; (Kagawa,
JP) ; Fujikawa, Shinobu; (Kagawa, JP) ; Kondo,
Hideki; (Kagawa, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DARBY & DARBY P.C.
P. O. BOX 5257
NEW YORK
NY
10150-5257
US
|
Assignee: |
Uni-Charm Corporation
Shikokuchuo-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
34913879 |
Appl. No.: |
11/075399 |
Filed: |
March 7, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11075399 |
Mar 7, 2005 |
|
|
|
PCT/JP04/02088 |
Feb 23, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
604/396 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 13/72 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/396 |
International
Class: |
A61F 013/15 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 25, 2003 |
JP |
2003-048105 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A panty formed by providing a highly elastic member made of a
highly elastic material and a slightly elastic member made of a
slightly elastic material, comprising: a front part; a back part; a
crotch part provided so as to bridge between the front part and the
back part; a waist opening part provided in an upper edge of the
front part and an upper edge of the back part; and a pair of leg
openings provided below both side edges of the front part and both
side edges of the back part, wherein a band-shaped area provided in
a substantially center area of the back part from the crotch part
to the waist opening part is formed of the slightly elastic
member.
2. A panty according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal elastic
coefficient of the slightly elastic member is larger than a
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member.
3. A panty comprising: a front part; a back part; a crotch part
provided so as to bridge between the front part and the back part,
the crotch part being utilized for fitting a sanitary napkin; a
waist opening part provided in an upper edge of the front part and
an upper edge of the back part; and a pair of leg openings provided
below both side edges of the front part and both side edges of the
back part, wherein a napkin lifting part is provided in a middle of
the crotch part from the front part to the back part, and a
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting part is
larger than a longitudinal elastic coefficient of a crotch cloth
constituting the crotch part.
4. A panty comprising: a front part; a back part; a crotch part
provided so as to bridge between the front part and the back part,
the crotch part being utilized for fitting a sanitary napkin; a
waist opening part provided in an upper edge of the front part and
an upper edge of the back part; a pair of leg openings provided
below both side edges of the front part and both side edges of the
back part; and a slightly elastic member made of a slightly elastic
material provided in a highly elastic member made of a highly
elastic material, wherein the slightly elastic member is provided
in a substantially center area of the back part from the crotch
part to the waist opening part, a napkin lifting part is provided
in a middle of the crotch part from the front part to the back
part, the slightly elastic member and the napkin lifting part are
stitched together at an end of the crotch part on the side of the
back part, a longitudinal elastic coefficient of the slightly
elastic member is larger than a longitudinal elastic coefficient of
the highly elastic member, and a longitudinal elastic coefficient
of the napkin lifting part is larger than a longitudinal elastic
coefficient of a crotch cloth constituting the crotch part.
5. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the crotch part is
formed by providing the crotch cloth stitched with the front part
and with the back part.
6. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the panty further
comprises a waist hold part provided around the waist opening part
extending from the back part to the front part.
7. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the panty comprises a
fixing member in a substantially center area of the front part
stitched on the crotch part, the waist hold part, and the highly
elastic member on an external side of the highly elastic
member.
8. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the slightly elastic
member is formed of a material which is non-elastic in a
longitudinal direction.
9. The panty according to claim 3, wherein the napkin lifting part
is formed of a material which is non-elastic in the longitudinal
direction.
10. The panty according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinal
elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting part is smaller than the
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the slightly elastic
member.
11. The panty according to claim 3, wherein a width of the napkin
lifting part is tapered from the front part to the back part.
12. The panty according to claim 11, wherein the width of the
napkin lifting part ranges between 20 mm and 60 mm.
13. The panty according to claim 7, wherein the longitudinal
elastic coefficient of the fixing member is larger than the elastic
coefficient of the highly elastic member in the longitudinal
direction.
14. The panty according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of the
slightly elastic member on a side of the waist opening part is
stitched with the waist hold part in substantially V-shape.
15. The panty according to claim 6, wherein an upper end of the
fixing member on a side of the waist opening part is stitched with
the waist hold part in substantially V-shape.
16. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the crotch part
comprises a napkin fitting cloth inside, front and rear ends of the
napkin fitting cloth being stitched with the crotch part and side
ends of the napkin fitting cloth being unstitched on the crotch
part.
17. The panty according to claim 16, wherein a length of the napkin
fitting cloth is equivalent to or longer than a length of the
crotch cloth constituting the crotch part.
18. The panty according to claim 1, wherein an elasticity gradually
decreases from the highly elastic member to the slightly elastic
member at a boundary between the highly elastic member and the
slightly elastic member.
19. The panty according to claim 1, wherein an elasticity changes
discontinuously from the highly elastic member to the slightly
elastic member at a boundary between the highly elastic member and
the slightly elastic member.
20. The panty according to claim 1, wherein when the panty assumes
a three-dimensional configuration, a dimensional ratio between a
center height length from the crotch part to the waist opening part
and the side height length which is a shortest length ranging from
the leg openings to the waist opening part is set at 100 for the
former and at between 80 and 200 for the latter.
21. The panty according to claim 1, wherein the slightly elastic
member, the napkin lifting part, and the waist hold part exhibit
different color tones or glosses from the highly elastic
member.
22. The panty according to claim 1, comprising an instruction
showing how to wear on the front part or on the back part.
23. The panty according to claim 22, wherein the instruction is
provided near the waist opening part above the slightly elastic
member.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation application of International
Application No. PCT/JP2004/002088 filed on Feb. 23, 2004 and
published on Sep. 10, 2004 as International Publication Number WO
2004/075801 in English, the entire contents of which is
incorporated herein by reference. The International Application No.
PCT/JP2004/002088 is based upon and claims the benefit of priority
from Japanese Patent application No. 2003-048105 filed on Feb. 25,
2003, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by
reference as well.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a panty for fitting a
sanitary napkin on a crotch part and, particularly to a panty which
can firmly hold the thick sanitary napkin for night use to prevent
shifting out of position, is excellent in fitting property to the
body, and hardly cause uncomfortable feeling for constraining of
wearer's body.
RELATED ART
[0003] A panty is required to certainly and firmly retain a
sanitary napkin attached to the crotch part thereof, to prevent the
sanitary napkin from shifting out of position at the crotch part,
and in addition, and to give a comfortable feeling to the wearer by
alleviating digging into a crotch portion of the body.
[0004] As a panty of this type, a panty that has a section having a
large tensile load bearing capacity in a center area between a
front part and a back part, a crotch part positioned between the
front part and the back part and joining the front part to the back
part, and a pair of elastic openings for legs is disclosed
(JP-2001-522958A). This panty has a longitudinal stretch control
member disposed in the crotch region and stretch control members
which are disposed in both the front part and the back part and
extend from the longitudinal stretch control member to a waist
band. The inventors of the present invention provided a comfortable
panty which can easily fit the sanitary napkin to the crotch part
preventing the sanitary napkin from digging into the crotch portion
(JP-A-2002-660). This panty includes a waist band around the waist
opening part and leg bands around the leg openings, respectively,
and a crotch part intended to be used for a part to attach a
sanitary napkin. And the panty is characterized in that the
dimensional ratio between the center length from the crotch part to
the waist opening part and the side length from the leg opening to
the waist opening part, as taking that the center height length is
100, is in the range from 80 to 200 in the side height length when
the dimensions are measured in a three-dimensional shaped condition
as worn and an elastic lifting member is provided from the crotch
part to the waist opening part in a back part.
[0005] However, according to the panty disclosed in
JP-T-2001-522958, although the sanitary napkin placed on the crotch
area can be fitted tightly to the body by the stretch control
member, since the stretch control member is provided as a narrow
strip, a force concentrates on one linear point, and thus the panty
may dig into the body in the worn condition. In addition, the
sanitary napkin may be bent at the center to form an upward
projection, and thus the top of the bent may cause uncomfortable
feeling to the wearer's body.
[0006] Moreover since two elastic leg openings are formed by
stitching the front part and the back part together, the stitched
portion extends at the center of the crotch part so as to connect
the two leg openings. Therefore, when a sanitary napkin is attached
to the panty, there is no base which can stably hold the sanitary
napkin, and consequently, the problem may arise with regard to
leakage due to the sanitary napkin kinked into a narrow shape or
the adhesive section of the sanitary napkin peeled off the body of
the panty.
[0007] According to the panty disclosed in JP-A-2002-660, the
elastic lifting member provided on the back part extends in the
longitudinal direction and generates a resilient contractive force.
This resilient contractive force works substantially linearly along
the medulla spinalis and then along the gluteal cleft and the
crotch portion at the center of the back part. Therefore, a large
lifting force in the for-and-aft direction is generated at the
crotch part and thus the sanitary napkin on the crotch part is
pressed to the ostium vagina.
[0008] This panty has a structure such that the elastic lifting
member provided on the back part extends in the longitudinal
direction and thus generates an elastic lifting force for fitting
the sanitary napkin to the body. However, since the elastic lifting
member is disposed on the back part and the front part is formed of
a sufficiently elastic cloth, when the thick sanitary napkin for
night use is attached to the panty, the sanitary napkin can not
fitted to the hip or the crotch portion because the elastic lifting
member sprawls due to the thickness and high rigidity of the
sanitary napkin and thus does not adequately exercise the force to
push the sanitary napkin even when the sanitary napkin is lifted by
the elastic lifting member disposed on the back part to fit it to
the body.
[0009] Therefore, a gap is generated between the sanitary napkin
and the body, and thus menstrual blood may flow down along the back
sides and leak from the sanitary napkin. In addition, the problem
that the menstrual blood might spread out through the gap and
increases in the area of the skin coming into contact with
menstrual blood, which gives a high burden to the skin, and may
lead to irritation of the skin.
[0010] If the body is constricted, for example, by a tight girdle
for preventing shifting out or kinking of the sanitary napkin when
the wearer moves unconsciously during sleep, it may cause swelling
or hematogenous disorder due to tightness, which gives significant
stress to the body.
[0011] Therefore, a panty having a structure which does not
constrict the entire body, but can press and fit only the necessary
portion of the sanitary napkin to the body is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a panty
which can easily fit the thick sanitary napkin for night use to the
crotch portion or the gluteal cleft, to prevent from shifting out
of position, to prevent from digging into the crotch portion, and
to provide a comfortable feeling without giving an uncomfortable
feeling of constriction to the wearer.
[0013] Focusing on such problems in the related arts, the present
invention provides a panty which is formed by providing a highly
elastic member made of a highly elasticated material, and a
slightly elastic member made of a slightly elasticated material,
and has a crotch part provided so as to bridge the front part with
the back part. The slightly elastic member is provided in a center
area of the back part ranging from a rear end of the crotch part to
a waist hold part. A longitudinal elastic coefficient of the
slightly elastic member is set to be larger than a longitudinal
elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member covering a hip and
a belly around the center area. A napkin lifting part stitched the
slightly elastic member of the back part is provided in a middle of
the crotch part, and a longitudinal elastic coefficient of which is
set to be larger than a longitudinal elastic coefficient of a
crotch cloth constituting the crotch part covering the crotch
portion therearound. With structures mentioned above, the invention
was completed and the problems described above can be solved.
[0014] More specifically, the present invention provides:
[0015] (1) A panty formed by providing a highly elastic member made
of a highly elasticated material and a slightly elastic member made
of a slightly elasticated material, comprising: a front part, a
back part, a crotch part provided so as to bridge between the front
part and the back part, a waist opening part provided in an upper
edge of the front part and an upper edge of the back part, and a
pair of leg openings provided below both side edges of the front
part and both side edges of the back part; wherein a band-shaped
area provided in a substantially center area of the back part from
the crotch part to the waist opening part is formed of the slightly
elastic member.
[0016] According to the present invention, when the panty is pulled
upward for being worn, the slightly elastic member allocated in the
band-shape area provided from the crotch part to the waist part
works to pull the crotch part connected thereto without extension.
Accordingly, the sanitary napkin attached on the crotch part is
pulled up and fitted to the crotch portion or the gluteal cleft of
the body, whereby a gap is hardly generated between the sanitary
napkin and the body and thus leakage of menstrual blood is
prevented. Since the panty is made up of the highly elastic member
which is highly elasticated, it is comfortable to wear without
giving uncomfortable feeling of constriction all over the wearer's
body as does with the girdle. Since the crotch part, being provided
so as to bridge between the front part and the back part, is
positioned around the pubic bone and the portion backward of the
anal when the panty is worn, and thus the sanitary napkin can be
stably attached to the crotch part when the wearer wears the panty
with the sanitary napkin attached to the crotch part, and thus the
sanitary napkin is prevented from kinking, thereby avoiding the
risk of leakage of menstrual blood.
[0017] The front part here means the front portion of the panty
body which covers the belly, and the back part represents the back
portion of the panty body which covers the back side of the waist.
The panty body means the portion which covers the waist portion of
the body. The term "the crotch part is provided so as to bridge
between the front part and the back part" means that the crotch
part is formed by connecting the crotch cloth to the front part and
the back part by stitching or the like, not by connecting the front
part directly to the back part.
[0018] (2) The panty according to (1), wherein a longitudinal
elastic coefficient of the slightly elastic member is larger than a
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member.
[0019] According to the present invention, when the wearer attaches
the sanitary napkin to a napkin fitting cloth and pulls the panty
upward to wear, the slightly elastic member is pulled upward with
the portion stitched between the crotch part and the slightly
elastic member being a supporting point. Then, the force to pull up
the slightly elastic member works as a force to pull the crotch
part upward and as a force to suspend the sanitary napkin for night
use attached to the napkin fitting cloth. In this case, since the
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the slightly elastic member is
larger than that of the highly elastic member disposed around the
slightly elastic member, the force to suspend the sanitary napkin
works effectively as a force to pull up the crotch part connected
to the slightly elastic member and also the sanitary napkin
attached to the crotch part. Therefore, unlike the panty having
elasticity at the center area of the back part as in the related
art which does not exert sufficient force to pull up the sanitary
napkin with only the center area of the back part being extended
even when the wearer pulls up the panty by holding the waist
opening part, the panty according to the present invention can
easily fit the thick sanitary napkin for night use to the crotch
portion or to the gluteal cleft.
[0020] Preferably, the longitudinal elastic coefficient of this
slightly elastic member ranges approximately between 10N and 60N,
and more preferably, between 20N and 50N. When the elastic
coefficient is smaller than 10N, a force to suspend the sanitary
napkin is not sufficient and hence does not effectively work as a
force to suspend the sanitary napkin. In this case, when the wearer
pulls up the panty, the slightly elastic member extends too much,
and thus the force exerted by the wearer does not work effectively
as a force to pull up the sanitary napkin. The elastic coefficient
larger than 60N is not preferable because a pulling up force larger
than a force required for fitting the sanitary napkin is liable to
be generated, and consequently, the sanitary napkin digs into the
body more than necessary, which may cause uncomfortable feeling or
pain. For example, material which is not elastic by itself, such as
plastic tape or string, is not preferable because it makes the
force to pull up the panty directly work as a force to pull up the
sanitary napkin, and thus makes the sanitary napkin to dig
excessively into the gap of the body.
[0021] The longitudinal direction of the slightly elastic member
and the longitudinal direction of the highly elastic member
correspond to the direction to pull up and down the panty when
wearing (Y-direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) and to the direction
from the crotch part and the leg openings toward the waist part.
The crotch portion means the portion of the body between the legs
and includes portions such as the ostium vagina, the perineum, and
the anal. The elastic coefficient means a value obtained by
dividing the tensile load exerted when the members (the slightly
elastic member, the highly elastic member, the napkin lifting part,
and the fixing member) of the panty are pulled up and extended by a
rate of extension at that time, and the larger the elastic
coefficient is, the lesser the likelihood of extension becomes.
[0022] (3) A panty comprising: a front part, a back part, a crotch
part provided so as to bridge between the front part and the back
part, the crotch part being utilized for fitting a sanitary napkin,
a waist opening part provided in an upper edge of the front part
and an upper edge of the back part, and a pair of leg openings
provided below both side edges of the front part and both side
edges of the back part; wherein a napkin lifting part is provided
in a middle of the crotch part from the front part to the back
part; and wherein a longitudinal elastic coefficient of the napkin
lifting part is larger than a longitudinal elastic coefficient of a
cloth constituting the crotch part.
[0023] According to the present invention, since the longitudinal
elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting part is larger than that
of the crotch cloth therearound, the napkin lifting part is pulled
up by a force larger than a force pulling up the cloth therearound,
which exerts a force to lift the center portion of the sanitary
napkin attached to the crotch part (toward the crotch portion of
the body). The elasticity of the napkin lifting part ranges from 5N
to 30N in elastic coefficient, and more preferably, from 10 to 25N.
When the elastic coefficient is smaller than 5N, a force to suspend
the center portion of the sanitary napkin does not work effectively
with respect to the pulling up force of the slightly elastic
member. As described in (1), since the crotch part is provided so
as to bridge between the front part and the back part, it is
positioned around the pubic bone and the portion backward of the
anal in the worn state. Therefore, when the wearer attaches the
sanitary napkin to the crotch part and wears the panty, the
sanitary napkin may be stably attached to the crotch part, and thus
the sanitary napkin is prevented from kinking, thereby avoiding the
risk of leakage of menstrual blood. When providing a waterproof
cloth having a waterproof property on inside of the crotch cloth
constituting the crotch part, the waterproof cloth may be stitched
together with the crotch cloth and the front part or with the
crotch cloth and the back part along the stitched portions
stitching the crotch cloth and the front part or the back part.
Therefore, the number of stitching portions does not increase, and
thus the uncomfortable sensation in the worn state or impair of
appearance may be prevented. The longitudinal direction of the
napkin lifting part is the direction lying between the front part
and the back part.
[0024] (4) A panty comprising a front part, a back part, a crotch
part provided so as to bridge between the front part and the back
part, the crotch part being utilized for fitting a sanitary napkin,
a waist opening part provided in an upper edge of the front part
and an upper edge of the back part, a pair of leg openings provided
below both side edges of the front part and both side edges of the
back part; and a slightly elastic member made of a slightly
elasticated material provided in a highly elastic member made of a
highly elasticated material; wherein the slightly elastic member is
provided in a substantially center area of the back part from the
crotch part to the waist opening part; wherein a napkin lifting
part is provided in a middle of the crotch part from the front part
to the back part; wherein the slightly elastic member and the
napkin lifting part are stitched together at an end of the crotch
part on the side of the back part; wherein a longitudinal elastic
coefficient of the slightly elastic member is larger than a
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member; and
wherein a longitudinal elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting
part is larger than a longitudinal elastic coefficient of a crotch
cloth constituting the crotch part.
[0025] According to the present invention, as described above in
(2) and (3), the force to pull up the slightly elastic member works
as a force to pull up the napkin lifting part when the panty is
worn. The napkin lifting part is pulled up with a force larger than
the force pulling up the cloth constituting the crotch part
therearound, and works as a force to lift the center portion of the
sanitary napkin attached to the crotch part upward (toward the
crotch portion of the body). Therefore, the sanitary napkin is
fixed so as to fit better to the crotch portion. As described in
(1), since the crotch part is provided so as to bridge between the
front part and the back part, it is positioned around the pubic
bone and the portion backward of the anal in the worn state.
Therefore, when the wearer attaches the sanitary napkin to the
crotch part and wears the panty, the sanitary napkin may be stably
attached to the crotch part, and thus the sanitary napkin is
prevented from kinking, thereby avoiding the risk of leakage of
menstrual blood.
[0026] (5) The panty as described in any one of (1) to (4), wherein
the crotch part is formed by providing the crotch cloth stitched
with the front part and with the back part.
[0027] According to the present invention, stitched portions exists
between a lower end of the front part and a front end of the crotch
cloth and between a lower end of the back part and a rear end of
the crotch cloth, respectively, and does not exist at the
midsection of the crotch part in a widthwise direction (direction
facing toward the pair of leg openings). In other words, the
respective stitching portions are positioned around the pubic bone
and the portion backward of the anal in the worn state. Therefore,
when the wearer attaches the sanitary napkin to the crotch part and
wears the panty, the sanitary napkin may be stably attached to the
crotch part, and thus the sanitary napkin is prevented from
kinking, thereby avoiding the risk of leakage of menstrual
blood.
[0028] (6) The panty according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein
the panty further comprises a waist hold part provided around the
waist opening part extending from the back part to the front
part.
[0029] According to the present invention, the waist hold part
disperses a force to pull up the slightly elastic member and a
force to fix the fixing member laterally (widthwise) of the panty
and holds the forces at the waist portion, the panty is fitted
around the waist portion over a wide area.
[0030] (7) The panty according to any one of (1) to (6); wherein
the panty comprises a fixing member in a substantially center area
of the front part stitched on the crotch part, the waist hold part,
and the highly elastic member on an external side of the highly
elastic member.
[0031] According to the present invention, the fixing member may
control the highly elastic member to extend when the napkin lifting
part is pulled toward the back part by the force carried by the
slightly elastic member pulled up when the panty is wearing.
Accordingly, since the portion of the napkin lifting part disposed
on the side of the front part is fixed without being pulled by the
influences of the napkin lifting part and the slightly elastic
member, the force for pulling the slightly elastic member works
directly as the force to pull up the napkin lifting part, and thus
the sanitary napkin is pulled up toward the body and fitted better
to the crotch portion and the gluteal cleft.
[0032] (8) The panty according to (1), (2) or (4) to (7), wherein
the slightly elastic member is formed of a material which is
non-elastic in a longitudinal direction.
[0033] According to the present invention, since the slightly
elastic member has almost no elasticity in the longitudinal
direction, when the wearer attaches the sanitary napkin for night
use to the napkin fitting cloth and pulls the panty up for wearing
it, the pulling up force works effectively as a force to suspend
the sanitary napkin. The slightly elastic member that can be
employed here is a cloth formed of knitted fabric, such as nylon
fiber or polyester fiber, including no elastic member such as
polyurethane fiber in the longitudinal direction, and having slight
elasticity caused by variations of knitting structure but having no
elasticity generated by the property of the member.
[0034] (9) The panty according to any one of (3) to (8), wherein
the napkin lifting part is formed of a material which is
non-elastic in the longitudinal direction.
[0035] According to the present invention, since the napkin lifting
part has almost no elasticity in the longitudinal direction, when
the wearer pulls up the panty for wearing, the napkin lifting part
is pulled by the pulling up force transmitted from the slightly
elastic member which is stronger than the force exerting to the
cloth therearound, and such pulling up force works as a force to
lift up the center portion of the sanitary napkin. The napkin
lifting part employed here is a cloth formed of knitted fabric,
such as nylon fiber or polyester fiber as it is for the slightly
elastic member, including no elastic member such as polyurethane
fiber in the longitudinal direction, and having slight elasticity
caused by variations of knitting structure but having no elasticity
generated by the property of the member.
[0036] (10) The panty according to any one of (3) to (9), wherein
the longitudinal elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting part is
smaller than the longitudinal elastic coefficient of the slightly
elastic member.
[0037] When the panty is worn, the slightly elastic member of the
back part works to fit the sanitary napkin to the body while
extending the napkin lifting part of the crotch part. In case that
the napkin lifting part has larger longitudinal elastic coefficient
than the slightly elastic member, when the panty is pulled up, the
napkin lifting part does not extend and the slightly elastic member
of the back part extends, and thus can hardly exert a force to pull
up the sanitary napkin toward the body.
[0038] (11) The panty according to any one of (3) to (10), wherein
a width of the napkin lifting part is tapered from the front part
to the back part.
[0039] According to the present invention, the napkin lifting part
is pulled toward the back part by a force to pull up the slightly
elastic member and exerts a force to suspend the napkin upward
(toward the crotch portion of the body) so as to bridge the gap of
the body. In this case, since the width of the napkin lifting part
is tapered gradually from the portion where the napkin lifting part
is connected to the front part (the portion which comes into
contact with the portion around the pubic bone), which is the
widest portion, toward the portion of ostium vagina, perineum, and
anal, an upward force is exerted along the centerline of the
sanitary napkin attached to the crotch part with respect to the
portion therearound. Then, when the width of the portion where the
fixing member is connected to the front part is substantially the
same width as the width of the crotch portion, the portion of the
panty with which the portion around the pubic bone comes into
contact is stabilized, and may be centered on the portion around
the ostium vagina. The width on the side of the fixing member being
narrow as the portion around the perineum or the anal is not
preferable because the center of the sanitary napkin may be shifted
in the worn condition, and hence shifted from the center of the
ostium vagina.
[0040] The width of this napkin lifting part may be tapered
gradually from the portion where the fixing member is connected to
the front part (the portion that comes into contact with the body
portion around the pubic bone), which is the widest portion, toward
the portion around the ostium vagina and the perineum, and then
increased from the portion around the ostium vagina to the portion
around the anal (but narrower than the width of the portion
stitched to the fixing member).
[0041] (12) The panty according to (11), wherein the width of the
napkin lifting part ranges between 20 mm and 60 mm.
[0042] According to the present invention, since the width of the
napkin lifting part does not assume a narrow line, the force does
not concentrate on a single point. Therefore, the possibility of
the napkin to dig into the body in the worn state, or of being bent
and folded at the center to form an upward projection with the top
of the bent giving uncomfortable feeling to the wearer's body when
the napkin is attached to the napkin fitting cloth may be
reduced.
[0043] (13) The panty according to any one of (7) to (12), wherein
the longitudinal elastic coefficient of the fixing member is larger
than the elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member in the
longitudinal direction.
[0044] According to the present invention, the fixing member at the
center of the front part works as a force to fix the portion of the
panty with which the portion around the pubic bone comes into
contact. However, since the longitudinal elastic coefficient of the
fixing member is larger than the longitudinal elastic coefficient
of the highly elastic member, the front part is controlled to
extend in the longitudinal direction is controlled. Since the
extension is controlled by the fixing member, the center area of
the front part does not extend by the influence of the slightly
elastic member or the napkin lifting part, and thus the portion of
the panty with which the pubic bone comes into contact is fixed.
The longitudinal elastic coefficient of the fixing member is in the
range from 10N to 30N, and more preferably in the range from 15N to
25N. This is because the portion of the front part corresponding to
the belly is a portion that is largely deformed by the movement of
the body, and thus when it is formed of a cloth that does not
extend at all, the waist part at the upper end of the front part
slips downward, thereby losing the fitting property. The fixing
member is formed of a power net constructed of nylon fiber and
polyurethane fiber.
[0045] The longitudinal direction of the fixing member here means a
direction to pull up and down the panty when wearing, that is, the
direction from the crotch part to the leg opening toward the waist
part (Y-direction in FIG. 2).
[0046] (14) The panty according to any one of (1), (2), or (4) to
(13), wherein an upper end of the slightly elastic member on a side
of the waist opening part is stitched with the waist hold part in
substantially V-shape.
[0047] According to the present invention, the length of the cloth
constituting the slightly elastic member from the waist hold part
to the crotch part is such that the length from the center of the
V-shape stitched with the waist hold part (the center point of the
V-shape) to the crotch part is shorter than the left and right ends
thereof. Since the amount of extension is larger at the shorter
portion of the cloth than at the longer portion thereof when the
cloth is extended, the portion from the center of the V-shape to
the crotch part is pulled up by a force larger than the force
exerted to the left and right ends thereof when the slightly
elastic member is pulled upward. Therefore, the center portion does
not slack and thus a force to pull up the sanitary napkin is
generated.
[0048] (15) The panty according to (6) to (13), wherein an upper
end of the fixing member on a side of the waist opening part is
stitched with the waist hold part in substantially V-shape.
[0049] According to the present invention, the length of the cloth
constituting the fixing member extending from the waist hold part
to the crotch part is such that the length of the center of the
fixing member (the pointed top of the V-shape) is shorter than the
left and right ends thereof. Since the amount of extension when
extended is larger at the shorter portion of the cloth than at the
longer portion thereof, the center portion from of the fixing
member is pulled up by a force larger than the force exerted to the
left and right ends thereof when the fixing member is pulled
upward. Therefore, the center portion does not slack and thus a
force to pull up the sanitary napkin is generated.
[0050] (16) The panty according to any one of (1) to (15), wherein
the crotch part comprises a napkin fitting cloth inside, front and
rear ends of the napkin fitting cloth being stitched with the
crotch part and side ends of the napkin fitting cloth being
unstitched on the crotch part.
[0051] According to the present invention, the sanitary napkin
fitting cloth is stitched to the crotch part only at the front and
rear ends and is not completely integrated with the crotch part,
that is, it is independent from the crotch part on the inside of
the crotch part. Therefore, since the napkin fitting cloth does not
extend in the fore-and-aft direction (in the direction toward the
front part and the back part) together with the crotch part, or
even when it extends, the amount of extension is very little, the
sanitary napkin attached thereto may be reliably held. In addition,
since it is stitched with the crotch part at the front and rear
ends, it may be stitched together with the crotch cloth which
constitutes the crotch part. Therefore, the number of stitching
portions does not increase, and thus uncomfortable feeling in the
worn state or impair of appearance may be prevented. The front and
rear ends mean the ends of the napkin fitting cloth on the side of
the front part and on the side of the back part.
[0052] (17) The panty according to (16), wherein a length of the
napkin fitting cloth is equivalent to or longer than a length of
the crotch cloth constituting the crotch part.
[0053] According to the present invention, since the length of the
napkin fitting cloth is long enough not to extend, even when the
crotch part formed of the crotch cloth of elastic fabric is
extended when the wearer pulls up the panty for wearing, or even
when it extends, the amount of extension is very little, and thus
the sanitary napkin can be reliably held. When the crotch part is
extended, the napkin lifting part is pushed toward the crotch
portion and thus the sanitary napkin is pushed toward the crotch
portion.
[0054] (18) The panty according to (1), (2), or (4) to (17),
wherein an elasticity gradually decreases from the highly elastic
member to the slightly elastic member at a boundary between the
highly elastic member and the slightly elastic member.
[0055] According to the present invention, since the elasticity
gradually decreases from the highly elastic member, when the wearer
pulls up the panty for wearing, the extension of the slightly
elastic member gradually decreases and thus the panty can fit the
wearer's body without giving uncomfortable feeling.
[0056] (19) The panty according to any one of (1), (2) or (4) to
(17), wherein an elasticity changes discontinuously from the highly
elastic member to the slightly elastic member at a boundary between
the highly elastic member and the slightly elastic member.
[0057] By providing elasticity of the slightly elastic member so as
to change discontinuously from the highly elastic member to the
slightly elastic member, the highly elastic member and the slightly
elastic member are apparently divided. In comparison with the case
in which they are not apparently divided (that is, the case in
which the elasticity continuously changes), the fitting property
may be lowered, but the effect of lifting the sanitary napkin is
enhanced.
[0058] (20) The panty according to any one of (1) to (19), wherein
when the panty assumes a three-dimensional configuration, a
dimensional ratio between a center height length from the crotch
part to the waist opening part and the side height length which is
a shortest length ranging from the leg openings to the waist
opening part is set at 100 for the former and at between 80 and 200
for the latter.
[0059] According to the present invention, since the side height
length of the panty is long, the leg bands provided at the leg
openings do not tighten from the portion around the crotch portion
to the side bone, but tighten the femoral regions of the wearer.
Therefore, since the oblique pulling-up force generated by the leg
bands does not act on the crotch part, digging into the crotch
portion does not occur. In addition, since a large pulling-up force
generated by the leg bands does not act on the crotch part, the
sanitary napkin on the crotch part is reliably suspended upward by
the slightly elastic member provided on the back part, thereby
achieving better fit.
[0060] (21) The panty according to any one of (1) to (20), wherein
the slightly elastic member, the napkin lifting part, and the waist
hold part exhibit different color tones or glosses from the highly
elastic member.
[0061] According to the present invention, since the slightly
elastic member, the napkin lifting part, and the waist hold part
are different in color or texture from the highly elastic member,
they can be visually distinguished. In this manner, since the waist
hold part, the slightly elastic member, and the napkin lifting part
are outstanding, the wearer can easily recognize these lifting
members, and can realize the effect of the lifting members easily.
Since these lifting members provided at the center of the panty
have different appearance from other cloth members, when the wearer
attaches and positions the sanitary napkin to the panty, the center
of the sanitary napkin and the center of the panty can easily be
aligned, and thus the center of the sanitary napkin can be fitted
to the center of the crotch portion of the body adequately.
Accordingly, the effect to block the gap for preventing leakage of
liquid such as menstrual blood can be improved.
[0062] (22) The panty according to any one of (1) to (21),
comprising an instruction showing how to wear on the front part or
on the back part.
[0063] According to the present invention, the wearer can control
the fitting property of the sanitary napkin by viewing the
instruction. The wearer attaches the sanitary napkin to the napkin
fitting cloth on the panty via an adhesive agent or the like, and
pulls up the panty by holding the upper side portion thereof when
pulling up and wearing the panty to the prescribed position of the
body. This way of wearing may also provide some degrees of adhesion
to the sanitary napkin. However, since desired degree of adhesion
differs on an individual basis, those who want to achieve better
fit can obtain adhesion of their preference by following the
instruction, for example, saying that "better fitting may be
achieved by pulling the portion located on the extension of the
slightly elastic member at the center of the back part". In this
manner, those who want to have high adhesion are guided so that
they can recognize how to wear with ease.
[0064] (23) The panty according to (22), wherein the instruction is
provided near the waist opening part above the slightly elastic
member.
[0065] According to the present invention, the sanitary napkin can
be fitted better by pulling up the portion of the instruction. In
other words, the slightly elastic member is pulled up by pulling
the portion of the instruction further upward after wearing the
panty by holding the upper side portions of the panty. By the
slightly elastic member being pulled up, the sanitary napkin can be
pushed toward the crotch portion of the body more firmly as
described above, and thus higher adhesion may be obtained.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0066] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a panty
according to the present invention, which is shown in a state in
which the panty is folded into two so that the front part and the
back part come in contact with each other.
[0067] FIG. 2 is a back view showing the panty according to the
embodiment in a state of being folded into two.
[0068] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the panty according to
the embodiment, which is shown in a state in which it is worn as
viewed from the side of the front part.
[0069] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the panty according to
the embodiment, which is shown in a state in which it is worn as
viewed from the side of the back part.
[0070] FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a slightly elastic member
of the panty according to the embodiment.
[0071] FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a crotch part of the panty
according to the embodiment as viewed from the bottom side.
[0072] FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a crotch part which has a
different napkin lifting part the napkin lifting part of the
embodiment.
[0073] FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the crotch part of
the panty according to the first embodiment as viewed from
inside.
[0074] FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the crotch part according
to the embodiment.
[0075] FIG. 10 is an explanatory drawing showing how a slightly
elastic member, a napkin lifting part, and a fixing member move
when the panty is worn.
[0076] FIG. 11 is an explanatory drawing showing how the portion of
the panty positioned in the vicinity of the ostium vagina move when
the panty is worn.
[0077] FIG. 12 is a drawing showing the relation between the rate
of extension and the tensile strength of the slightly elastic
member.
[0078] FIG. 13 is a back view showing a second embodiment of a
panty according to the present invention, which is shown in a state
in which the panty is inside out and folded into two so that the
front part and the back part come into contact with each other.
[0079] FIG. 14 is a back view showing a third embodiment of a panty
according to the present invention, which is shown in a state in
which the panty is inside out and folded into to so that the front
part and the back part come into contact with each other.
[0080] FIG. 15A is a front view showing a fourth embodiment of a
panty according to the present invention, which is shown in a state
in which the panty is folded into to so that the front part and the
back part come into contact with each other.
[0081] FIG. 15B is a back view showing the panty according to the
fourth embodiment, which is shown in a state in which the panty is
folded into two so that the front part and the back part come into
contact with each other.
[0082] FIG. 16A is a three dimensional perspective view showing a
fifth embodiment of the panty according to the present invention as
viewed from the side of the front part.
[0083] FIG. 16B is a three dimensional perspective view showing the
panty according to the embodiment as viwed from the side of the
back part.
[0084] FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of an instruction provided on
the panty according to the embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBIDIMENT
[0085] Referring now to the drawings, an embodiment of a panty
according to the present invention will be described. It should be
understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0086] FIG. 1 is a front view of a panty according to a first
embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in a state in
which the panty is not worn on the body and is folded into two so
that the front part and the back part come into contact with each
other. FIG. 2 is a back view showing the panty shown in FIG. 1,
which is folded into two; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the panty
of the first embodiment showing a state in which the panty is worn
and viewed from the side of the front part; FIG. 4 is a perspective
view of the panty of the first embodiment showing a state in which
the panty is worn and viewed from the side of the back part; FIG. 5
is an enlarged plan view showing the slightly elastic member of the
panty according to a second embodiment in the enlarged state; FIG.
6 is a partial plan view of the crotch part when viewed from the
bottom side; FIG. 7 is a partial plan view showing a different
napkin lifting part from what is shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a
partial perspective view showing the crotch part viewed from the
inside; FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the crotch part; FIG. 10
is an explanatory drawing showing how the slightly elastic member,
the napkin lifting part, and the fixing member of the panty move
when the panty is worn; FIG. 11 is an explanatory drawing showing
how the portion of the panty positioned around the vicinity of
ostium vagina move when the panty is worn, and FIG. 12 is a drawing
showing the relation between the rate of extension and the tensile
strength of the slightly elastic member.
[0087] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the panty 10 has a front part
11, a back part 12, a crotch part 13 positioned between the front
part 11 and the back part 12. A waist opening part 14 is formed in
an upper edge of the front part 11 and an upper edge of the back
part 12, a pair of leg openings 15 are formed below the front part
11 and the back part 12, and a napkin fitting cloth 16 (shown in
FIG. 8) on which a sanitary napkin is attached is disposed inside
of the crotch part 13. A waist hold part 17 extending from the
front part 11 to the back part 12 is provided around a waist
opening part 14, and a slightly elastic member 18 extending from
the crotch part 13 to the waist hold part 17 is disposed at a
center area of the back part 12. A highly elastic member 19 is
disposed in all the other area of the front part 11 and the back
part 12 except for the waist hold part 17 and a fixing member 20
and it is stitched at a substantially center of the front part 11.
A part of the highly elastic member 19 which is disposed in the
back part 12 forms a back side highly elastic member 19b which
extends from the slightly elastic member 18 to the front part 11.
The other part of the highly elastic member 19 which is disposed in
the front part 11 forms a front side highly elastic member 19a. In
the center area of the front part 11, the fixing member 20 is
provided, and the fixing member 20 is stitched with the highly
elastic member 19. The highly elastic member 19 is stitched also
with the crotch part 13 and the waist hold part 17 both in the
front part 11 and the back part 12. And a napkin lifting part 21 is
provided in a middle of the crotch part 13 bridging the slightly
elastic member 18 with the fixing member 20. A waist band 22 is
provided along the upper side of the waist hold part 17 which is
formed in the upper edges of the front part 11 and the back part
12, and leg bands 23 are provided around the leg openings 15. A
dimensional ratio between a center height length La ranging from
the crotch part 13 to the waist opening part 14 and a side height
length Lb which is the shortest length ranging from the leg
openings 15 to the waist opening part 14 is between 80 and 200 as
taking that the center height length is 100.
[0088] The highly elastic member 19 may be formed of a knitted
fabric, such as a combination of a nylon fiber and a polyurethane
fiber, a combination of a polyester fiber and a polyurethane fiber,
or a combination of a nylon fiber, a polyester fiber and a
polyurethane fiber. Other knitted fabric than the above-described
combinations may be used as long as the elastic coefficient does
not exceed 10N. The crotch part 13 is formed by providing a crotch
cloth 24, and the crotch cloth 24 is stitched with the highly
elastic member 19 on a side of the front part 11 and a side of the
back part 12. The crotch cloth 24, similar to the highly elastic
member 19, is formed of a resiliently stretchable knitted fabric
such as the combination of the nylon fiber and the polyurethane
fiber, the combination of the polyester fiber and the polyurethane
fiber, or the combination of the nylon fiber, the polyester fiber
and the polyurethane fiber. The waist band 22 provided along the
waist opening part 14 and the leg bands 23 provided along the leg
openings 15 are formed of elastic material such as elastic woven
fabric of polyurethane fiber, synthetic rubber sheet, or natural
rubber sheet. The longitudinal direction here means a direction
when the waist opening part 14 and the crotch part 13 are defined
to be upper and lower sides (Y-direction in FIG. 1), that is, a
direction to pull up and down the panty 10 when it is wearing, and
the lateral direction means a direction orthogonal to the
longitudinal direction (X-direction in FIG. 1), that is, a
widthwise direction of the panty 10.
[0089] The waist hold part 17 is formed around the waist opening
part 14 of the panty 10 to form V shaped edge, the pointed edge of
which points to the centers of the front part 11 and the back part
12, and is stitched with the highly elastic member 19 of the front
part 11 and the back part 12. The waist hold part 17 is a knitted
fabric whose elastic coefficient in the longitudinal direction is
higher than the elastic coefficient in the lateral direction. The
knitted fabric is the combination of the nylon fiber and the
polyurethane fiber, the combination of the polyester fiber and the
polyurethane fiber, or the combination of the nylon fiber, the
polyester fiber and the polyurethane fiber for example. The waist
band 22 provided around the waist opening part 14 is, for example,
a polyurethane band, a natural rubber band, or a synthetic rubber
band of about 10 mm and is stitched with the waist hold part 17 in
an extended state.
[0090] The waist hold part 17 functions to disperse a force to pull
up the napkin lifting part 21 through the slightly elastic member
18 or the fixing member 20 and to hold the force at the waist
portion, and thus it is desirable that the longitudinal extension
of the waist hold part 17 is restricted so that the waist hold part
17 is held and fixed at the waist portion when the panty 10 is
worn. It is desirable that a lateral elastic coefficient thereof is
larger than a lateral elastic coefficient of the highly elastic
member 19, because a force constricting the waist opening part 14
increases and hence the panty 10 is prevented from slipping
down.
[0091] The slightly elastic member 18 is provided in the
substantially center area of the back part 12. The upper end of the
slightly elastic member 18 is stitched with a center portion of the
waist hold part 17 (the portion in the vicinity of the pointed edge
of the V-shaped edge), and the lower end of the slightly elastic
member 18 is stitched with an end of the crotch part 13 on the side
of the back part 12 (a rear end of the crotch part 13) and both
side ends of the slightly elastic member 18 are stitched with the
highly elastic member 19. The slightly elastic member 18 extends
from the waist hold part 17 to the rear end of the crotch part 13,
and is tapered toward the rear end of the crotch part 13. The width
of the narrow portion ranges from 10 mm to 30 mm, and preferably,
is about 20 mm. The width of the wide portion where the slightly
elastic member 18 is stitched with the waist hold part 17 is in the
range from 30 mm to 130 mm, and preferably about 60 mm. The
slightly elastic member 18 may be extended to the waist opening
part 14.
[0092] The length of a middle area of the slightly elastic member
18 (corresponds to Lc in FIG. 1) is shorter than lengths of the
side ends of the slightly elastic member 18 (corresponds to Ld in
FIG. 1), and the upper end of the slightly elastic member 18 and
the rear end of the waist hold part 17 are stitched with each other
to form a V-shaped portion having the V-shaped edge as described
above. Therefore, a cloth positioned in the middle area of the
slightly elastic member 18 extending from the pointed edge of the
V-shaped portion to the crotch part 13 is extended more than
clothes positioned in the side ends of the slightly elastic member
18 when the panty 10 is worn. That is, an extension force lifting
the cloth positioned in the middle area of the slightly elastic
member 18 is larger than the one lifting the clothes positioned in
side ends of the slightly elastic member 18. When the slightly
elastic member 18 is pulled upward, since the length of the middle
area of the slightly elastic member 18 is shorter than those of the
side ends of the slightly elastic member 18, the cloth positioned
in the middle area is pulled up by a larger force than the force
pulling up the clothes positioned in left and right ends thereof.
Therefore, the center portion does not go slack and thus a force to
pull up the sanitary napkin 25 is generated. Regarding the relation
between these lengths, dimensions and elastic rates were measured
before and after the panty 10 is put on a doll. The dimensions and
elastic rates are shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, the length
at the middle area of the slightly elastic member 18 is shorter
before the panty 10 is worn, and the elastic rate when it is worn
is large.
1TABLE 1 The lengths and the elastic rates of clothes used for the
slightly elastic member and the fixing member. Slightly elastic
member Fixing member Center portion Side portion Center Side
(Middle area) (Right and left portion portion (Lc) ends) (Ld) (Lc)
(Ld) Length before 13.0 14.5 7.5 12.0 worn (cm) Length in worn 16.0
17.0 10.4 15.0 state (cm) Elastic rate (%) 23.1 17.2 38.7 25.0 1)
Center portion (Lc): the length extending from the pointed edge of
the V-shaped portion to the crotch part. 2) Side portion (Ld): the
length of the side line extending from the side of the V-shaped
portion to the crotch part.
[0093] The slightly elastic member 18 may be formed of a knitted
fabric such as the combination of the nylon fiber and/or the
polyester fiber, the combination of the nylon fiber and the
polyurethane fiber, the combination of the polyester fiber and the
polyurethane fiber, or the combination of the nylon fiber, the
polyester fiber, and the polyurethane fiber. The cloth forming the
slightly elastic member 18 has no elastic material such as
polyurethane fiber in the longitudinal direction so that it has
slight elasticity caused by knitting structure but has no
elasticity generated by the material itself, that is, the cloth
having a larger longitudinal elastic coefficient than the
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member 19.
Therefore, the slightly elastic member 18 can hardly be extended in
comparison with the highly elastic member 19. In this structure,
since the highly elastic member 19 covering the hip and the belly
of the body therearound is formed of the cloth which is elastic
longitudinally and laterally, it follows the deformation of the
body caused by the movement of the wearer. However, the slightly
elastic member 18 provided substantially in the center area of the
back part 12 is hardly affected by the movement of the highly
elastic member 19 because the longitudinal elastic coefficient
thereof is larger than the elastic coefficient of the highly
elastic member 19.
[0094] The elasticity of the slightly elastic member 18 is such
that the elastic coefficient is preferably in the range from 10N to
60N and, more preferably, from 20N to 50N. The force to lift the
sanitary napkin 25 is not sufficient when the elastic coefficient
is smaller than 10N, and when the elastic coefficient is larger
than 60N, the sanitary napkin 25 may dig into the gap of the body
too strong. (FIG. 11) Although the force to pull up the panty 10
directly works as a force to pull up the sanitary napkin 25 even
when the slightly elastic member 18 does not extend at all, a force
to pull up the sanitary napkin 25 is larger than the force required
for fitting the sanitary napkin 25 which may make the is sanitary
napkin 25 dig the body excessively and cause uncomfortable feeling
or pain, which is not desirable. In contrast, when the elasticity
is too large, the slightly elastic member 18 extends excessively
when the wearer pulls up the panty 10, and thus does not work
effectively as a force to pull up the sanitary napkin 25.
[0095] On the other hand, the elastic coefficient of the highly
elastic member 19 is less than 10N, and more preferably, in the
range from 2N to 3N when extended between 10 and 30%. More
specifically, the tensile load exerted when the panty is extended
about 20% in the worn state is in the range from 0.4 to 0.6N, so
that comfortable gentle fitting along the body is achieved. The
elastic coefficient in the worn state means the elastic coefficient
obtained when the panty is put on the doll assuming medium
size.
[0096] The slightly elastic member 18 may be formed such that the
extension rate is the same throughout the area, or may be formed
such that the extension rate changes gradually or discontinuously
to decrease from the left and right ends toward the middle area as
shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows the slightly elastic member 18 in an
enlarged manner, in which the slightly elastic member 18 is shown
in a state in which the extension rate changes gradually from the
left and right ends 18a toward the middle area 18b in a schematic
manner.
[0097] Just for reference, the relation between the extension rate
and the tensile strength of the slightly elastic member 18 of the
panty 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 12 in
comparison with the panty in the related art. In FIG. 12, the
vertical axis represents the tensile load with the unit of Newton
(N), and the lateral axis represents the extension rate with the
unit %. A curve A corresponds to the panty according to the present
invention and the curve B corresponds to the panty in the related
art.
[0098] As shown in FIG. 12, when the slightly elastic member
provided in the substantially center area of the back part of the
panty in the related art extends 30%, the tensile load applied is
P1. On the other hand, when the slightly elastic member 18 of the
panty 10 according to the present invention extends 30%, the
tensile load applied is P2, which means that the panty 10 of the
present invention is larger tensile strength than the panty in the
related art. In other words, the panty 10 of the present invention
has larger tensile load than that of the panty in the related art
with the same extension rate. Even when the panty 10 according to
the present invention extends only 10% in the worn state, the
tensile strength applied to the panty 10 of the present invention
is P3 which is larger than the tensile strength of the panty in the
related art. In other words, even when the extension rate is
smaller than the panty in the related art, the tensile strength
applied to the panty 10 of the present invention is larger, which
means that the slightly elastic member 18 of the panty 10 of the
present invention works effectively as the force to pull the crotch
part 13. Therefore, the force to pull up the sanitary napkin 25 for
night use increases, so that the sanitary napkin 25 fits better to
the crotch portion of the body.
[0099] The fixing member 20 of the panty 10 is formed of a power
net, and is disposed in the substantially center area of the front
part 11. The upper end thereof is stitched with the waist hold part
17 around the pointed edge of the V-shaped portion of the waist
hold part 17, and the side edges thereof are stitched on the highly
elastic member 19. The lower end thereof is stitched with the
napkin lifting part 21 and the napkin fitting cloth 16 constituting
the crotch part 13 or with the highly elastic member 19 at the end
of the crotch part 13 on the side of the front part 11 (front end
of the crotch part 13). The fixing member 20 is tapered from the
waist hold part 17 toward the crotch part 13, and is stitched with
the napkin lifting part 21 disposed in the substantially middle of
the crotch part 13. The width of the portion where the fixing
member 20 is stitched with the napkin lifting part 21 is almost the
same as the width of the front end of the napkin lifting part 21
disposed in the side of the front part 11. The upper end stitched
with the waist hold part 17 is formed into a substantially V-shape,
and the width thereof is in the range from 60 mm to 150 mm, and
preferably, in the range from 80 mm to 120 mm.
[0100] The length of the center portion of the fixing member 20
(corresponds to Lc in FIG. 1) is shorter than those of the left and
right side ends thereof (corresponds to Ld in FIG. 1) and the upper
end of the fixing member 20 and the rear end of the waist hold part
17 are stitched to form a V-shaped portion as described above.
Therefore, as in the case of the slightly elastic member 18, when
the fixing member 20 is pulled upward, the center portion of the
fixing member 20 is pulled up by the stronger force than the force
lifting the left and right side ends thereof (See Table 1).
Therefore, the center portion does not go slack and the force to
pull up the sanitary napkin 25 is generated.
[0101] The power net constituting the fixing member 20 is a cloth
formed of nylon fabric and polyurethane fiber higher than 100 dtex,
and the longitudinal elastic coefficient is larger than the
longitudinal elastic coefficient of the highly elastic member 19,
that is, the power net cloth constituting the fixing member 20 is
less elastic than the highly elastic member 19. The longitudinal
tensile strength of the fixing member 20 is such that the elastic
coefficient is in the range from 10N to 30N, more preferably, in
the range from 15N to 30N. The type or the mixing rate of the fiber
in the power net constituting the fixing member 20 is not limited
thereto, and may be selected as appropriate so that the
above-described effect can be obtained.
[0102] As shown in FIG. 6, the napkin lifting part 21 is disposed
in the substantially middle of the crotch part 13 formed by
providing the crotch cloth 24 which is a similar material as of the
highly elastic member 19 and forms a part of the crotch part. One
end of the napkin lifting part 21 is stitched with the lower end of
the slightly elastic member 18 provided at the substantially center
area of the back part 12, and the other end of the napkin lifting
part 21 is stitched with the lower end of the fixing member 20
provided at the substantially center area of the front part 11. The
both side ends of the fixing member 20 are stitched with the crotch
cloth 24 forming the crotch part 13. The napkin lifting part 21
extends from around the portion that comes into contact with the
pubic bone to the portion around the anal and tapers from the front
end on the side of the front part 11 to the rear end on the side of
the back part 12. The width of the napkin lifting part 21 is in the
range from 50 mm to 80 mm at the wider portion, and more
preferably, about 70 mm, and in the range from 10 to 30 mm at the
narrower portion, and more preferably, about 20 mm.
[0103] The napkin lifting part 21, similar to the slightly elastic
member 18, is formed of a knitted fabric such as the combination of
the nylon fiber and/or the polyester fiber, the combination of the
nylon fiber and he polyurethane fiber, the combination of the
polyester fiber and the polyurethane fiber, or the combination of
the nylon fiber, the polyester fiber, and the polyurethane fiber,
and includes no elastic material such as polyurethane fiber in the
longitudinal direction, and has slight elasticity caused by
variations of knitting structure but has no elasticity generated by
the material itself. It is formed of a cloth having a longitudinal
elastic coefficient smaller than the longitudinal elastic
coefficient of the slightly elastic member 18, that is, the cloth
constituting the napkin lifting part 21 is more elastic than the
slightly elastic member 18.
[0104] The elasticity of the napkin lifting part 21 is preferably
such that the elastic coefficient is in the range from 5N to 30N,
and more preferably, in the range from 10N to 25N. The force to
lift the center portion of the sanitary napkin 25 is not sufficient
when the elastic coefficient is smaller than 5N. When the elastic
coefficient is larger than 30N, the elasticity thereof exceeds that
of the slightly elastic member 18, and thus suspending action which
makes the center portion of the sanitary napkin 25 fit to the gap
of the body can hardly be performed.
[0105] The napkin lifting part 21 may be formed in such a manner
that the width thereof is tapered gradually from the portion
stitched with the fixing member 20, which is the widest portion,
toward the intermediate area, and increases again from the
intermediate area toward the portion stitched to the slightly
elastic member 18, as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, the width of
the napkin lifting part 21 at the portion stitched with the
slightly elastic member 18 is smaller than the width of the portion
stitched with the fixing member 20.
[0106] As shown in FIG. 8., the napkin fitting cloth 16 is disposed
over the inside of the crotch part 13. The front end of the napkin
fitting cloth 16 is stitched on the crotch part 13 on the side of
the front part 11 and the rear end of the napkin fitting cloth 16
is stitched on the crotch part 13 on the side of the back part 12.
The napkin fitting cloth 16 is a cloth-film integration formed by
stitching a waterproof cloth formed of polyurethane-laminated
polyester circular dappled knit and polyester knitted fabric for
protecting the laminated film surface together around the left and
right ends. The length L2 of the napkin fitting cloth 16 is, as
shown in FIG. 9, the same as the length L1 of the crotch part 13 or
more. More specifically, the length L1 of the crotch part 13 is in
a range of 140 mm to 190 mm, and preferably, about 160 mm. The
length L2 of the napkin fitting cloth 16 is in a range of 140 mm to
220 mm, and preferably, about 200 mm.
[0107] The highly elastic member 19 of the panty 10 is formed of
black semi-dull cloth. The waist hold part 17, the slightly elastic
member 18, and the napkin lifting part 21 are formed of bright
brown cloth. The power net constituting the fixing member 20 may be
of different color from the cloth of the highly elastic member 19.
In this manner, it is preferable that the waist hold part 17, the
slightly elastic member 18, the napkin lifting part 21, and the
fixing member 20 are differentiated from the highly elastic member
19 in color or in light reflection by changing the amount of
blended titanium oxide whether or not the colors be the same, so
that these members for lifting the sanitary napkin are visually
distinguishable.
[0108] Referring now to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the behaviors of the
slightly elastic member 18, the napkin lifting part 21, and the
fixing member 20 when the panty 10 according to the present
invention is worn will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory
cross-sectional view of the panty around the crotch portion of the
body showing how the slightly elastic member, the napkin lifting
part, and the fixing member move around the crotch portion of the
body when the panty of the present invention is worn. Reference
sign BD designates the body, and reference sign LG designates a
leg. FIG. 11 is an explanatory lateral cross-sectional view of the
portion of the panty around the ostium vagina showing the behavior
of the portion of the panty in the vicinity of the ostium vagina in
the worn state. Reference sign I in FIG. 11 designates the ostium
vagina, and reference numeral IT between both legs LG designates
the inside of the femurs.
[0109] When the panty 10 is worn, as shown in FIG. 10, a force T3
for pulling the napkin lifting part 21 toward the back part to
cover the gap of the body at a point A (a portion where the fixing
member and the crotch part 13 are stitched each other, which comes
into contact with the pubic bone of the body) as a supporting point
is emerged by receiving a lifting force T1 caused the slightly
elastic member 18. Then, the force T3 for pulling up the napkin
lifting part 21 is exerted as force to pull up the center portion
of the sanitary napkin 25 upward. The width of the napkin lifting
part 21 around the point A is about 70 mm, and is tapered gradually
toward the ostium vagina, the perineum, and the anal (toward a
point B, which is a stitched portion between the slightly elastic
member 18 and the crotch part 13) into the width of about 20 mm. In
this manner, since the width of the napkin lifting part 21 on the
point A is wide, the point A is fixed so that the napkin lifting
part 21 may be prevented from moving to right or left side and the
center of the napkin lifting part 21 may be around the ostium
vagina. If the width of the napkin lifting part on the point A is
such narrow as 20 mm, the napkin lifting part 21 may be shifted to
right or left and hence the center thereof may not be positioned
around ostium vagina in the worn state, which is not
preferable.
[0110] As shown in FIG. 11, since the width of the napkin lifting
part 21 in the vicinity of the ostium vagina is as narrow as 20 mm,
and the elastic coefficient of the napkin lifting part 21 is higher
than the cloth therearound, it is extended by a stronger force and
exerts as a force T4 for lifting the center portion of the sanitary
napkin 25 upward.
[0111] As shown in FIG. 10, the napkin lifting part 21 is pulled
toward rearward (the back part 12) by the force T1 caused by the
slightly elastic member 18 being pulled toward the upper side of
the back part 12. Therefore, a force to shift the napkin lifting
part 21 toward rearward is generated at the point A. When the
napkin lifting part 21 is shifted rearward along with the point A,
the force to make the sanitary napkin 25 fit to the body, which is
exerted by the napkin lifting part 21, can hardly be effected. In
other words, when the whole of the napkin lifting part 21 is
shifted rearward, the force to make the sanitary napkin 25 fit to
the body is not generated. In order to avoid such a state, it is
preferable to fix the point A as firm as possible. On the other
hand, the fixing member 20 of the front part 11 exerts the force to
fix the point A. In other words, by stitching the power net which
constitutes the fixing member 20 to the outside of the highly
elastic member 19 of the panty 10, the force T2 generated in the
front part 11 tending to extend in the vertical direction may be
lessened. In this manner, the extension of the front part 11 is
lessened by stitching the fixing member 20 thereon, and thus the
point A is fixed without being pulled by the slightly elastic
member 18 and the napkin lifting part 21. The longitudinal elastic
coefficient of the cloth of the power net which constitutes the
fixing member 20 is preferably in a range of 10N to 30N, because if
it is formed of non-elastic cloth, the waist opening part at the
upper end of the front part 11 may slip downward since the belly
with which the front part 11 comes into contact is a significantly
deformable portion according to the movement of the wearer, and
thus there is a risk of impairing the fitting property.
[0112] The point A here corresponds to the stitched portion between
the fixing member 20 and the crotch part 13, that is, around the
portion which comes into contact with the pubic bone of the body,
while the point B corresponds to the stitched portion between the
slightly elastic member 18 and the crotch part 13, that is, the
portion on the side of the back part 12 with respect to the anal,
and the portion about 150 to 200 mm rearward (on the side of the
back part 12) from the pubic bone.
[0113] A method of measuring the elasticity of the members of the
panty (the slightly elastic member, the napkin lifting part, the
fixing member, and the highly elastic member) will now be
described.
[0114] <Measurement of the Slightly Elastic Member>
[0115] The stitched portion stitching the rear end of the crotch
part 13 with the slightly elastic member 18 on the side of the back
part 12 (the rear end of the crotch part 13) and the position at
the chucking distance of 100 mm from this stitched portion toward
the waist opening part 14 are clamped by a chuck (the dimensions of
the clamping surface is rectangular of 30 mm.times.25 mm), the
slightly elastic member 18 is extended by 50% at a pulling speed of
100 mm/min. by a tensile tester, and the tensile loads are measured
at every 10% of extension.
[0116] <Measurement of the Napkin Lifting Part>
[0117] The stitched portion stitching the napkin lifting part 21
with the front part 11 and the position at the chucking distance of
150 mm from the stitched portion toward the back part 12 of the
panty 10 are clamped by the chuck (the dimensions of the chucking
surface is a rectangular of 35 mm.times.25 mm), the napkin lifting
part is extended by 50% at a pulling speed of 100 mm/min. by the
tensile tester, and the tension loads are measured at every 10% of
extension.
[0118] <Measurement of the Fixing Member>
[0119] The stitched portion stitching the fixing member 20 with the
end of the crotch part 13 on the side of the front part 11 (the
front end of the crotch part 13) and the position at the chucking
distance of 80 mm from this stitched portion toward the waist
opening part 14 of the panty 10 is clamped by the chuck (the
dimensions of the chucking surface is a rectangular of 35
mm.times.25 mm), the fixing member 20 is extended by 50% at a
pulling speed of 100 mm/min. by the tensile tester, and the tensile
loads are measured at every 10% of extension.
[0120] <Measurement of the Highly Elastic Member>
[0121] The highly elastic member 19 of the panty 10 is cut into
dimensions of 130 mm in length.times.25 mm in width. Then, the cut
strip is clamped by the chuck (the dimensions of the chucking
surface is a rectangular of 35 mm.times.25 mm), the highly elastic
member 19 is extended by 50% at a pulling speed of 100 mm/min. by
the tensile tester, and the tensile loads are measured at every 10%
of extension.
[0122] The elastic coefficient is a value obtained by dividing the
tensile loads measured in the methods described above by the
corresponding extension rate. For example, the elastic coefficient
in the case where the tensile load is 10N when extended by 20% is
10N/0.2=50N.
[0123] Referring next to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the panty 10a
according to the second embodiment and the panty 10b according to
the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 13 is a back view showing the panty 10a according to the
second embodiment in the state of inside out and being folded into
two so that the front part and the back part come into contact with
each other. FIG. 14 is a back view of another form of the second
embodiment shown in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, the identical
components as the first embodiment are represented by the identical
reference numerals, and the redundant description is omitted.
[0124] The panty 10a of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is a
panty which is different from the panty 10 of the first embodiment
in that a waterproof cloth 26 with the width of 30 to 140 mm, more
preferably in the order of 80 mm is provided inside of the panty
10a at the substantially center area of the back part 12, which
extends from the crotch part 13 to the waist hold part 17. The
waterproof cloth 26 is stitched on the crotch part 13, the waist
hold part 17, and the slightly elastic member 18 so as to be
integral with the main body of the panty 10a. The left and the
right ends of the waterproof cloth 26 are left free without being
stitched on the back part 12 of the panty 10a so as not to inhibit
the stretching property of the panty 10a.
[0125] The waterproof cloth 26 is, as in the case of the napkin
fitting cloth 16 described above, a cloth-film integration formed
by stitching a waterproof cloth formed of polyurethane-laminated
polyester circular dappled knit and polyester knitted fabric for
protecting the laminated film surface together around the left and
right ends. The waterproof cloth 26 has such elasticity in the
longitudinal and lateral directions to the extent that does not
impair the elasticity of the main body of the panty 10a.
[0126] By providing the waterproof cloth 26 in the substantially
center area of the back part 12 on the inside of the panty 10a,
when menstrual blood is discharged to the amount exceeding the
absorbing capacity of the sanitary napkin, the menstrual blood
flowing over the sanitary napkin is received by the waterproof
cloth 26, and is prevented from leaking outside the panty 10a.
[0127] The waterproof cloth 26 may be provided in such a manner in
which the lower end of the waterproof cloth 26 does not extend all
along to the crotch part 13, but extends from the waist hold part
17 to the substantially midsection of the back part 12. In other
word, the waterproof cloth 26 may extend from the waist hold part
17 to the portion which is not covered by the sanitary napkin so
that the front end of the sanitary napkin is placed on the
waterproof cloth 26 in the worn state. The waterproof cloth 26 is
stitched on the waist hold part 17 and the slightly elastic member
18, and on the backside highly elastic member 19b of the back part
12 at the lower end thereof so as to be integral with the main body
of the panty 10b. The left and right ends of the waterproof cloth
16 are left free without being stitched with the main body of the
panty 10b so as not to impair the elastic characteristics of the
main body of the panty 10b.
[0128] Referring next to FIG. 15, the fourth embodiment of the
present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a drawing of the
panty according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention,
showing the state of being folded into two so that the front part
and the back part come into contact with each other in the not-worn
condition. FIG. 15A is a front view showing the state of being
folded into two, and FIG. 15B is a back view of the state of being
folded into two. In this embodiment, the identical components as
the first to the third embodiments are represented by the identical
reference numerals, and the redundant description is omitted.
[0129] The panty 10c according to the fourth embodiment shown in
FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B has a similar structure to the panty 10 in
the first embodiment other than that the dimensional ratio between
the center height length La from the crotch part 13 to the waist
opening part 14 and the side height length Lb of the shortest
portion between the leg openings 15 to the waist opening part 14 is
set at 100 for the length La and between 50 and 80 at the Lb. The
panty 10c is, being different from the panty 10 of the first
embodiment, not in the shape of the boxer shorts, and thus is
compact and the center height length from the crotch part to the
waist opening part is shorter than the side height length of the
shortest portion between the leg openings and the waist opening
part. The panty 10c may be provided with the waterproof cloth 26
shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 at the substantially center area of
the back part 12 of the panty 10c on the inside thereof.
[0130] Referring next to FIG. 16A, FIG. 16B and FIG. 17, a fifth
embodiment of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 16A
and FIG. 16B are perspective views showing the panty according to
the fifth embodiment three-dimensionally. FIG. 16A is a perspective
view viewed from the side of the front part 11, and FIG. 16B is a
perspective view viewed from the side of the back part 12. FIG. 17
is an enlarged view of an instruction provided on the panty
according to the fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, the
identical components as the first embodiment are represented by the
identical reference numerals, and the redundant description is
omitted.
[0131] The panty 10c according to the fifth embodiment shown in
FIG. 15 has a similar structure to the panty 10 in the first
embodiment other than the instruction 27 is provided inside of the
panty 10d at the position in the vicinity of the waist opening part
14 above the extension line of the slightly elastic member 18
provided in the substantially center area of the back part 12. The
instruction 27 is a tag showing the preferable way of use of the
panty, and is stitched to the panty 10d at the position described
above, as shown in FIG. 17.
[0132] Accordingly, when the wearer attaches the sanitary napkin to
the napkin fitting cloth 16 (not shown) of the panty 10d via an
adhesive agent or the like and pulls the panty 10d to the
prescribed position of the body for wearing, the wearer, who
desires higher adhesion of the sanitary napkin, can obtain the
adhesion of her preference by pulling the panty 10d upward by
holding the side portions thereof and then further pulling the
panty by holding the tag of the instruction 27.
[0133] Though the instruction 27 in this embodiment is formed by
stitching the tag indicating how to wear, it is not limited
thereto, and may be those provided clearly by print or by
embroidery yarn. Alternatively, it may be indicated with a laundry
tag. The position to provide the instruction 27 is also not limited
to the position described above, and may be determined as
appropriate depending on the contents of instruction of how to
wear. It is also possible to provide on the exterior side of the
panty 10d. The contents of the instruction are also not limited to
the example described above.
[0134] Although the panty according to the present invention has
been described in detail referring to the illustrative drawings,
the present invention originally is not limited to those
illustrative drawings, and may be implemented by modifying to the
extent without departing the scope described above, and those
modifications are included in the technological scope of the
present invention.
[0135] As described thus far, the panty according to the present
invention realizes easy fit of the thick sanitary napkin for night
use to the crotch portion or to the gluteal cleft, and may prevent
shifting out of position, and in addition, the present invention
may alleviate digging into the crotch portion and thus is
comfortable to wear without constricting entirely as in the case of
a girdle. In other words, since the slightly elastic member and the
napkin lifting part lift up the center portion of the sanitary
napkin for night use from the portion corresponding to the ostium
vagina and the back parts to fit it to the body, the gap, which may
cause leakage by flowing down through, is eliminated, so that the
sanitary napkin is reliably fitted to the body irrespective of the
posture of the wearer. As a consequence, the cause of leakage of
menstrual blood by flowing along the gluteal cleft may be
eliminated, and thus the wearer can sleep in any posture at ease
and can wake up feeling entirely refreshed. In addition, since the
area of spread of menstrual blood is small, the area of the skin to
which menstrual blood comes in contact is narrowed and hence
stimulus to the skin is reduced and, consequently, skin irritation
and the like is prevented.
[0136] Further, since the surrounding highly elastic member other
than the slightly elastic member and the surrounding crotch cloth
other than the napkin lifting part are formed of cloth which has
high elasticity and high air permeability, it does not cause the
excessive uncomfortable feeling of constriction, and swelling or
hematogenous disorder due to tightness. Therefore, it does not give
stress to the body, and does not cause the uncomfortable feeling of
constriction even after long time use.
[0137] In addition, since the belly portion (front part) is
controlled by the fixing member formed of a power net, the panty is
prevented from slipping down and the sanitary napkin is firmly
fixed.
* * * * *